Island X
by Italian Lioness
Summary: Susannah takes part in a reality t.v series where five students and five celebrities have to survive on an island for 3 weeks. What will happen when she meets pop sensation Jesse De Silva there? Will Paul get in the way? JS. Rated T for later scenes...
1. Island X

**Island X**

"Oh Susie, be careful", my mum said, crying hysterically into my shoulder. God, I was only going away for a few weeks, it was just like visiting grandma… on an island.

I tried to pull away but she clung to me like a dress.

"Mum, they are expecting me there…today!" She gave me one last bone-crushing hug before letting me drift off in the throng of people boarding the plane. My step-brothers didn't even have the decency to look sad. Bored would have been a better word.

"APPARENTLY THE GREEN BUGS TASTE THE BEST!" Adam yelled at me from behind the red tape. Such an Adam thing to do. People turned to look at me and whisper, their eyebrows raised.

I was waving to my family and friends when a blonde girl with a pretty face pushed past me.

"Move Biatch, some people have a plane to catch", she shot me a disgusted look before stepping on to the airplane. What's her problem? Someone needs an attitude adjustment and being the sensitive soul that I am I showed her my middle finger.

"Welcome aboard, I hope you enjoy your flight", an over-cheerful air hostess greeted me.

_12B..14B_. I checked the numbers above the seats. 16B, Yes, window!

I sat down and put my cabin bag underneath my seat.

"Wanna Swap?"

A handsome guy around my age, six feet tall with brown curly hair sat beside me, gesturing to my seat.

"It's vital for my health that I sit next to a window". Was this guy for real?? Points for being hot though.

I raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"You seriously expect me to believe that?"

"Well it was worth a try". He winked. "My names Paul", he extended a tanned hand towards my own.

"Suze" I grinned, shaking it.

"Short for Susannah?" he asked, his mahogany eyes glinted.

"Um…Yes actually". I was genuinely surprised. Most people thought it was short for Susan.

"So Suze, why are you flying?"

I couldn't tell him about _Island X_ for two reasons; firstly, it was sort of like bragging, not everyone got to be on television. Secondly, I didn't want anyone to watch me, especially hot guys like Paul. Who knew what I'd look like after sleeping on sand for weeks?!

"Um…Vacation". I ended up saying. So I was lying… I'd done worse, it wasn't a big deal. After all Father Dominic told us that God forgives everyone… Ahem. Cough, cough.

"What could I get you this morning?" A red-haired hostess nodded a head in my direction. Her over-bright smile looked to be permanently stuck on her face. She had a badge on her tacky, blue uniform that read _Hannah_. Haha, Hannah the hostess. Unfortunate.

"Just water please". I answered, but she wasn't looking at me anymore, instead she was openly flirting with Paul who wasn't exactly shying away.

"I'm so thirsty". I placed a hand on my throat. "If only there was someone who could get me a drink…"

Queue dramatic sigh. "Oh wait… you can!" I gave my most innocent smile while Hannah glared at me.

"Buh-Bye" I waggled my fingers at the hostess who looked as if she was ready to blow.

"Wow", Paul laughed. "What happened to sweet innocent Suze?"

"She can kiss my ass", I replied before looking out the window. Paul was still laughing when the intercom clicked on.

"Please remain in your seats until we have reached maximum height and velocity. The hostesses will instruct you on proper aircraft safety and regulations. The temperature is currently 25° and we will arrive at our destination in approximately four hours. The time is 8:00am. Enjoy your flight."

The airport fell behind us as we ascended into the air. I knew CeeCee would give anything to be in my place. Rumour had it that a certain Pop Sensation, Jesse De Silva, would be one of the five celebrities on Island X. I don't even get what she sees in him. He's just another cocky, stuck-up celeb.

The funny thing was, I did it as a joke. I honestly believed I wouldn't get on to _Island X_, I guess there is a first for everything.

If I wasn't on the show I probably wouldn't even watch it. I wasn't really into reality t.v, especially ones featured on an island in the middle of nowhere, where you have to 'survive' in the 'desert' for a couple of weeks. Can you say bull?

I think I fell asleep for the rest of the journey. Man Hannah must have been pissed to return with my water, only to find I had fallen asleep- on Paul as I found out later.

"Suze, it's time to get off the plane, wake up!"

Shit. Everyone had left and Hannah was laughing, quite evilly I might add, at me. On my way out of the plane, I made sure that my foot landed on her perfectly pedicured one, hard. As a result, she said some very bad words that I'm sure would have got her fired. I could complain. The good-hearted me, instead of filing a report, curtsied and slipped off the plane before I got the other end of her throbbing foot.

I don't know what I was expecting when I walked into New York. Maybe a change in temperature or different vegetation but this airport looked almost identical to the one we had just flown from, I was quite disappointed. Paul asked me for my phone number and we said our good-byes. I was going to miss him, well… ok mostly his face but he was pretty funny too.

I made my way to the cafeteria because I was quite hungry and I had to wait an hour for the jet plane- yes, you heard me correctly _jet plane_.

I know… same country, different state but I was still gutted that the café didn't sell anything but sandwiches. What's that saying to tourists? We are boring, have a ham and cheese? I tried not to dwell on the fact that America's airports were slightly deficient in the food department and instead looked at the planes landing and taking off on the runway. Tourists pushed each other out of the plane, their cameras strung around their necks and snapping eagerly away at the grey airport. Wouldn't you save your film for other things? Like… oh I don't know… historical landmarks or the beach? It was pretty comical, I had to admit, all these tourists in Hawaiian shirts, this was America after all, not the islands and if they were here for the food they should just turn around and head home.

"All boarding _Jet Air, _please make your way to tunnel D"

I breathed a sigh of relief, just in time, I probably looked like a sad loser staring at everyone. I quickly went to the bathroom and tried to revive my sorry excuse for hair which hung in limp waves down my shoulders. Mum said I didn't give myself enough credit and that I was pretty, but isn't that what mums are supposed to say? I applied more mascara to long eyelashes that framed my hazel eyes and ran out the door. It would be just my luck if I missed the plane.

You could imagine my surprise when I got to tunnel D and saw two familiar faces…


	2. New Faces

Hi everyone! As you can probably tell I am not American so just let me know me if I've got the state, temperature, time difference e.t.c wrong, cause I most likely have. Thanks to Pinta08 and Free The Dancing Llamas, Yay my first reviews. Lol

This is my first story, so it's probably not all that good, but try and stick with it.

Read and Review!

New Faces

I rushed up to Paul.

"You're going to Island X? " I exclaimed. Paul nodded.

"I thought you were going on a vacation?" he raised one eyebrow suspiciously. I could feel my cheeks heating up.

"Um… yeah well technically it is-" I started before The Blonde Bitch who pushed me at the airport narrowed her startling blue eyes at me.

"It's you", she spat making a gagging gesture at Paul. How lovely.

"This is my friend Susannah Simon", Paul introduced me. The Blonde almost choked on her gum. Haha, in your face biatch.

"Suze, this is Amber" he pointed to the girl. What a shame, she really suited my nickname for her…

"Tickets please"

A tall man in his thirties, dressed in an expensive looking suit interrupted and took our tickets. He led us down a winding hall until we stopped outside.

"Here we are, have a great flight" he smiled before returning to his post. Amber flipped her long hair and walked up the steps to the plane. Paul rolled his eyes and stepped in after her. Now this was more like it! Couches lined the walls of the plane, the floor was covered with soft grey carpet. A big plasma screen t.v took up one whole wall and some sort of beverage sat on a polished table in-between the sofas.

"I could get used to this" Paul patted a seat on the couch next to him. They felt as good as they looked and I immediately fell back into it's black leather. Amber flounced onto the opposite couch, acting as if she flew on jet planes all the time. She probably did, being one of those snotty, daddy's little blonde bimbo, rich girls.

Whatever the drink was it tasted good… and expensive. The t.v company sure weren't low on money. You could say I was quite surprised when the pilot emerged through a tiny door at the front of the plane. There was a door there??

He instructed us on safety precautions but all I caught was; 'life jackets underneath the couches', I wasn't really listening. Well you wouldn't either considering that the interior of the jet plane was better-and probably more expensive- than the whole of me and CeeCee's houses put together. I made sure I would tell her that when I got home.

As soon as the pilot left, we took off. The Pacific Ocean sparkled in the sun like someone had spilt glitter on it's surface. Seeing as this would be the only time I would ever fly in a jet plane, unless I became a gazillionare, I took my time exploring.

I pulled open a cupboard to reveal a big red button. I'd seen enough movies to know what happens when you press one, but now I had seen it I couldn't just NOT press it!

"I wouldn't do that if I were you". I didn't even see Paul come up behind me.

"And why is that?" I retorted, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Because I want to do it".

Why are boys so immature?

He quickly pushed the button before I could reach it. Nothing happened. He looked so disappointed I couldn't help laughing. Especially when he pulled a face that resembled a baby having a tantrum.

Suddenly one of the many draws popped open admitting a _whirr, click _sound and revealing a purple pinball machine. Was there anything this plane DIDN'T have?

"I win". Paul stuck his tongue out at me. So what? The red button DID do something… it wasn't a competition or anything. With that fact in mind I raced to get to the pinball machine first, ahead of Paul, who was currently wearing his sulking-baby face.

I had forgotten how much I stunk at pinball and eventually let Paul have a turn. Instead I watched Amber file her nails to a point so sharp it could injure or kill someone. She would probably get away with it too- killing someone I mean.

There is a reason why jet planes are called JET planes. They are fast! I could already make out the Island, and let me tell you there was not much to look. From what I could gather, there was a cluster of palm trees in the center of the island and a few scattered around the outside. Other then that, there was sand. Lots and lots of sand. As we got closer, I could see the outlines of people who looked like tiny dolls on a sandcastle. There were a few vans- most likely the t.v companies and cameras on stands.

The jet plane jutted to the ground causing Amber's nail file to fly through the air and land in her drink. What are the odds? I had a feeling this was going to be a great afternoon.

Not to sure about my writing in this chapter and it's a bit short…

Read and Review…

Ciao

Reba x


	3. Day One

New Chapter! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, much appreciated. Hopefully it will get a bit more exciting from here on in.

Day One

Everyone pushed past each other to get off the plane. I could feel Amber's nail file, wet and sharp, stabbing me in the thigh so I stood on her foot. Well… at least I thought it was her foot until Paul emitted a girlish shriek and jumped back, allowing Amber to slip off the plane.

"What did you do that for?" Paul cried out, biting his lip. I forgot I was wearing heels, I'm not stupid though, they were just for the plane ride in. I took my Jimmy Choo's off, they would probably sink in the sand anyway, said a hurried apology to Paul and… well… I sort of _fell _out of the plane.

I waited for the impact of my fall but it never came. I looked up at a boy about my age that had storm-grey eyes and sandy-blonde hair. He placed me back on the ground. It took me a while to regain my balance, my legs were still shaking from the slip.

"My names Brain. You must be one of the students." The boys' freckled face crinkled in amusement.

"Ah... I guess so. My name's Suze… Thanks by the way". Someone behind me coughed. "Oh and this is Paul and Amber".

I hadn't noticed the girl with wavy, brown hair behind Brian until she pushed past him and ran to hug me. You could say I was taken aback, I mean I didn't even know her.

She eventually let go of me and went to hug Paul and Amber. Paul held on to the girl for longer than necessary while Amber stepped back in disgust. The girl was obviously smoking something because she didn't care that Amber called her a freak and skipped back to me.

"My name's Becky", she said in a surprisingly husky voice for such a preppy girl. "Yay, we are all here, isn't that so totally awesome?" She smiled widely, her voice penetrating through the air like a knife through butter.

"She is not drunk or anything if you were wondering". Brian muttered under his breath to me. "She's just… Becky".

"The director said we can explore the island or go for a swim but we have to meet back here in an hour". Becky in formed us, already slipping off her dress to reveal an orange striped bikini. Soon everyone, with the exception of Amber, were in their togs and racing down to the cool, crisp-looking sea. I dipped a toe in the water and jumped back with a squeal. It was bloody freezing, there was no way I was going in there.

Before I knew it, Paul and Brian had their arms around my waist and literally _threw_ me in the water. Given the below zero temperature I would have screamed but instead swallowed a mouthful of salty brine. Swimming back up to the surface, I breathed in a lung-full of air. Well there is no point in getting out now, plus the sun would heat me up.

Time flies when you're having fun. I hate cliches but that's exactly what happened. What seemed like a minute was in fact an hour, and when Paul looked up to note that Amber was gone we swum back to shore. Nice of her, wasn't it? To tell us that our hour was up… A heart of gold that girl.

Not having time to change, we grabbed our clothes and ran back to the plane.

A lady in her thirties, with hair cut in a bob, I figured to be the director. She was talking animatedly into a cell phone beside Amber, who was currently tying her hair back into a high ponytail.

"Hi there", the lady said in an over-excited voice, her cell phone pressed against her stomach, "I'll be with you in a moment". She turned back around, yelling at a man with a camera to and I quote, "Move your ass or I'll move it for you".

Our luggage was brought to us as Becky and I exchanged looks. Amber had three, large suitcases at her feet. Didn't she know that you are only allowed one case, and the bare essentials at that, toiletries, clothes… and… well that's about it?

She figured it out soon enough when a man with a headset came and took two of her cases away. She held on to her luggage as if it was the last Dolce and Gabbana in store. The t.v man was so shocked he let go of the cases and Amber flew back onto the sand, taking the bags with her. It took all of my willpower not to burst out laughing at her blubbering form.

The lady with the bob clicked her phone shut and talked to Amber as if she were a little baby.

"Honey, didn't you read the conditions? One bag only", she held up one finger to emphasize her point. Then she turned to the rest of us. "Ok, let's cut to the chase", she looked at everyone in turn. "As you probably figured out I'm the director, Lisa, and I just want to run a few things by you.

"You all received the _Island X_ handbook, am I correct?" We all nodded dumbly. "So you probably know what's going to take place these next few weeks. When the host, in an hour, tells you things you already know just act like it's all new to you, capesh?" "Yes, miss", we replied. "Good." Lisa whipped out a plastic bag from her pocket. "Now that that's out of the way…" She walked around the group with her bag open.

"Cell Phones!" She looked overjoyed at the sight of our devastated faces. "PDA's, Ipods, watches, laptops… it all goes in here. " She placed the bag in the center of our group. "If you are caught with any form of technology during your stay here at _Island X _you will immediately be sent home, am I clear?" We nodded half-heartedly. Some of us were having a hard time parting with our electronics, cough, Amber, cough…

I had to bite my tongue when Amber pulled a hairdryer from her luggage. And where exactly was she planning to plug that in? The surprise came when she pulled a generator out with it. Lisa looked at her like she was a complete and utter idiot. Well… she was. Did Amber honestly think she would get away with it? The point of the series was to _survive _on the island not live in luxury.

"I'll be back here in…" Lisa checked her watch, "three quarters of an hour to take you to the campsite. I suggest you use your time wisely." She pointed at the bag. "Electronics in here by the time I get back or you will be sorry." She narrowed her eyes, mainly at Amber, before putting on a headset and walking in the direction of the cameras.

As if a switch had been turned on, people started running around the island trying, in vain, to get reception. It was when I was jogging, in my bikini I might add, with my cell phone stuck in the air that I crashed into someone.

He stayed standing, which is more than I can say for myself. A tanned, muscular arm pulled me up in one fluid movement bringing me face-to-chest with the hottest guy I had EVER seen, and that's saying something. He had chocolate brown eyes with the kind of hair that makes you just want to run your fingers through it, you know… the dark, thick, curly kind. He was absolutely gorgeous, even more so when he smiled, revealing perfectly white teeth. He looked somewhat familiar which pissed me off because now I'd be stuck with that nagging feeling at the back of my mind.

"Are you alright?" He asked in a thick, Spanish accent. Hot much? He gave me a weird look, probably because of the fact I was standing, frozen, with my mouth permanently ajar.

"You must be one of the students right?" He raised one scarred eyebrow. Say something, Goddammit! Suze, say something!

"Ok", he said slowly taking his hands off my shoulders. "Well I'll see you soon." He winked at me before walking away, his hands in the pockets of his jeans. Did I mention how great his butt looked in them- the jeans I mean.

Yes, I am fine. My name's Suze by the way, what's yours? Don't you hate it when you think of things to say minutes after you were supposed to say them? I even could have said, "Thanks and sorry for running into you". But what did I say instead? Nothing. May I remind you that I'm not usually like that around guys, that was just a… special case.

I didn't really feel like calling anyone anymore. Instead, I walked back to the plane. Put my phone in the bag, sat and traced patterns on the sand with my finger.

After a while, Becky came and sat beside me. _Are you Ok?_ She wrote in the sand. _No, I am an idiot. I'll talk to you about it later _I wrote back. While Becky was reading my reply, a Prada clad foot came down and smudged the message.

"Oh, I'm sorry", Amber smirked down at Becky "Were you reading that?"

"No, I was actually finished, but that's ok I know it was an accident." Becky smiled back up at Amber. She was obviously more capable than I was at controlling her anger.

Paul and Brian came back, just in time. Our three-quarters of an hour was up. Lisa came into view and clapped her hands.

"Come on, let's go home".

Please Review!!!!

Ciao

Reba

xx


	4. Home Sweet Home

**Hi everyone.**

**Well here is the next chapter, hope you like it! =P **

**Thanks to all the reviewers, love hearing from you. Review!**

Home Sweet Home

Home. How do you define home? Is it a few rooms with nice furnishing? Or perhaps the people you care about? Maybe even that sense of belonging. Let me tell you right now, this most certainly was NOT home.

However, that was not the reason I almost tripped over my own feet upon entering the campsite. No, not even close. It was the fact that a certain drop-dead gorgeous guy was sitting on a log near the campfire… and I suddenly remembered his name. The worst part of it was that he was way, way, WAY out of my league.

We are talking about _Jesse De Silva _here, the artist who had produced more number ones then the zeros you can count on Ambers bank balance. _Jesse De Silva_ the only 19-year-old guy who had a gazillion girls waiting at his doorstep just to catch a glimpse of his _toe_. _Jesse De Silva _the singer who in no way would be interested in a 17-year-old average-looking student like me.

Which is why, when he flashed me a million-dollar smile, I just looked at my bare-feet and slumped on the opposite log next to Paul and Becky. I'm not letting him tease me with something I can't have. I just won't look at him. Yeah that's the plan. I mentally kicked the part of my mind that said_ yeah right, like that's gonna' work_.

The rest of the celebrities sat on a log next to Jesse talking amiably with each other. Probably about the latest after party with Orlando Bloom and Beyonce.

The host, a man with short black hair, asked if we were ready to start filming. NO! I wanted to scream. Take me home! Instead I nodded with everybody else and watched as he gave the thumbs up to a man with a professional looking camera.

"Welcome to the all new series of _Island X,_ I'm your host, Matt King and over the next few weeks you will be watching our two teams battle it out on the island. One lucky contestant will walk away with $500,000 and our generous celebrities, if they win, will donate their money to a charitable organization." Matt made this cheesy smile at the camera that, if he wasn't a prime-time host would have been really creepy. No… actually it was still creepy.

He introduced the students to the camera. The TV company would probably show the humiliating video tapes we filmed to get on the show. My one consisted of me completing various dares in order to show how 'brave' I was, with the help of Adam and CeeCee, of course. My brothers had offered to set up the tasks for me, but I more or less refused. They would make me eat a dead rabbit or something. _Including_ the maggots.

"And what an amazing series this will be". The host continued, head bobbing with delight. "Along with our students we are lucky enough to have five talented and famous celebrities with us on the show."

Matt looked excited, like there was something he wasn't telling us.

"There is one fact that, not only everyone at home, but our contestants as well, will be anxious to know…" He paused for _dramatic effect_ as Andy would say. "The teams will be mixed, boys/girls, celebrities/ students".

Suddenly everyone was talking at once, as if a switch had been turned on. Nobody really knew what to think about it, most were recovering from shock. What if one of us was a crazed fan? Surely the celebs managers wouldn't want their clients assaulted- not that any of them were allowed on the island.

One thing I had learned about the host of _Island X _was that he was extremely impatient and without warning carried on with a set of instructions.

"The teams will have to construct their own shelters and collect their own food on the island. These rules, however, do not come into effect until tomorrow.

"To attain food, the teams will have to use skill and knowledge. We have a few bonuses on the island called 'wells'- storerooms with food- hidden under the sand in various places. They are not easy to find but very rewarding for the whole team if you succeed.

"Every second day, our teams will compete in a challenge. The winning team will be rewarded accordingly where as the losing team will vote one member to be sent off _Island X_. The days before each 'competition' will allow the teams to collect food, build better shelters or practice for the tasks ahead. I will now announce the teams…"

The host paused; I could just imagine a drumroll beating in the background. Spot lights shone in the darkness, highlighting two flags that were fluttering in the balmy breeze. A red at one end of the campsite and a blue at the other. The red had the name _Khana_ written on it with black ink whereas the blue one had _Malin_. I felt like whacking the host over the head he was taking so dammed long.

"Amber Dunn". Matt said in this tone that he probably thought caused excited tension. He pointed at the blue flag.

Amber just sat on the log, looking bored and playing with a lock of her hair.

"Um… Amber darling, here's the thing. When I point to a flag I want you to go there." Matt explained to the girl. I heard him whisper to the camera guy to "edit it" while Amber flounced over to the _Malin_ flag.

"Lily Harland". Matt then started to introduce her to the camera. We weren't dumb. EVERYONE knew Lily, she was a role model to punk/rock teens everywhere.

Said girl of twenty with purple-streaked hair walked to the red flag where Matt was pointing, and pulled a face behind his back. I had a feeling I was going to like Lily.

The host then proceeded to open a blue envelope. _Don't pick me, don't pick me_, I chanted in my mind. I would literally shoot myself if I was chosen to be with Amber.

Luckily, the host picked Scott Dale, an over-eccentric and obnoxious MTV presenter for the blue team. Aww… isn't that cute, Amber and Scott totally suit each other.

Let me point out that I am usually not one for biting my nails- how can people do that, they are so gritty? - But I had chewed them so fast I was nibbling skin. I could see Becky watching me nervously out of the corner of my eye. It would be only a matter of time before she yanked the nails out of my mouth.

"Brian McDonald", Matt pointed to the red flag and Brain ran up to Lily, introducing himself. I fought the urge to slap some sense into that boy, his eyes darted all over the singers' curvy body, like it was the first time he had seen a girl. That's when I noticed Beckys' flashing eyes glaring at Lily. A little bit of jealousy perhaps? I would have to talk to her about that later.

Little did I know at now at the time that there would be no _later_ as 'Becky Moore' was called to the blue flag with Amber and Scott. Poor Becky, she didn't even see it coming.

The next person named was Briana Marshall, a Grammy award-winning actress. Seeing her in person was kind of freaky, instead of red hair spiraling down in delicate curls, they hung on her shoulders, limp and frizzy. Not to say this effected her looks (much to my chagrin), no she could wear a sack and still make it on the cover of _Cosmo_. Brian looked like he was in heaven.

"The next person to join Amber, Scott and Becky in team _Malin _is…" The host opened the envelope.

"Patrick Thompson". I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. However, I must have looked quite confused since Paul leaned over and whispered _cricketer _in my ear. Pssh, I knew that… Well who follows the cricket anyway?

I knew Patrick would be an advantage to the blue team. He was the only professional sports player here, that must count for something. _Did someone say my name… oh shit…_

Matt made a swishing motion under his chin with a hand. The universal sign for 'cut' or 'you're dead meat bucko'. I had a feeling it wouldn't be the latter. Well at least I hoped not…

"Simon could you at least _pretend _you're listening?" Matt asked me, shaking his head in desperation. I could feel my cheeks heating up and imagined me face turning a lovely shade of tomato red_. Great healthy look when trying to impress people, girls! _The host yelled for the camera men to playback the film and I listened as he called me to the red flagged team. _Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes_ I almost shouted. There is a god! I practically _skipped_ over to MY team.

"Hey Susannah, welcome to the reds!" Lily shook my hand heartily, "We're going to whip ass!"

"Thanks, and call me Suze", I replied with a grin. Brian came up and thumped me on the back… it hurt.

"The last person for team _Malin_ is…. Paul Slater". Paul would be an another advantage for the blue team. During the plane ride, he had informed me that he was an avid tennis player and I could tell he was determined… or stubborn.

That means that the last person left is…

"Jesse De Silva, you're red".

Is this a joke God? I promise I will go to church once I get off the island! I'm sure Father Dominic would be impressed. Now it would be harder for me to ignore Jesse.

"Now we have our two teams, _Khana _(red); Lily, Brian, Briana, Susannah and Jesse. And _Milan_ (blue); Amber, Scott, Becky, Patrick and Paul. Tomorrow will be tough everyone, so get some rest! We will catch up with you in the morning."

The TV men started to pack their belongings in a van, all except one woman who climbed up a palm tree to adjust a hidden camera. Sneaky! I so do NOT look good while in a deep sleep… I probably snore.

"It's going to be a nice night, so you will all be sleeping under the stars", Matt ran a hand through his waxed hair. "Team _Milan_, you're mattresses are under the blue flag and _Khana_ is under the red.

"We start filming again tomorrow morning…" Ah, no you don't you have that secret camera above our beds, remember? "…. Your bags can be stored in the van tonight, but tomorrow you must create a safe and dry place to store them, goodnight!" With that, the host jumped on a buggy and speed off into the distance.

We all stared at each other in stunned silence before Lily yawned and stretched out her arms. "Well I don't know about you guys, but I'm shattered, goodnight." Brian, of course, followed her.

I probably would have gone to bed like the rest of my team, if a girl with hair braided into tiny plaits hadn't stepped out of the shadows. And, ok you're probably thinking… so? Just go to bed. The fact was I couldn't… go to bed I mean, because I knew this girl from somewhere…

And she was dead.

So that's it. Just had to get the teams out of the way, it should get a bit more exciting (I hope) from here on in.

**Please review, even if its only a few words! =]**

**Xox**

**Reba**


	5. Day Two

**I hereby grant my faithful readers an update.**

**Thanks to everyone reviewing, you really do make my day! Am I supposed to write a disclaimer? I'm sort of new to this website…**

**Anyway, this is my longest chapter (insert applause here) so it calls for a few celebratory reviews… Ahem… Enjoy!!**

Ok so I didn't really _know_ her. I had just seen her on the t.v… a lot.

Her name is Savannah Al Zahrani, or should I say _was_. You know the famous Arabian actress who died from a stab wound? Yeah, that one. Nobody knew whether her death was accidental or deliberate, murder or suicide. Savannah's family had stopped the investigation when the evidence had started to clear. They told the media that they would rather not hear if their loved one had committed suicide. I had other ideas. Although I had not thought about it much… until now.

One of the reasons I had left for _Island X _was to escape from the supernatural world. To get a break from my unpaid job. Boy did that blow up in my face!

Even if I chose to ignore the glowing girl, I _still _wouldn't be able to get to sleep. She was running around and screaming bloody murder, (no pun intended).

"YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!" her gypsy skirt flayed around her slim figure like an umbrella, "WHY!"

Well, there was only one thing I could do…

"OWWWW!" The mark my hand left on her cheek was non-existent but she still cried out like a little baby. _Get over it. _

She placed a hand over the cheek that I slapped and widened perfectly made-up eyes at me.

"Boo", I whispered at her, I just couldn't resist. It probably wasn't the best thing to say at the time considering the fact she ran the opposite way… screaming. Just so you know ghost do NOT say 'boo', wail sure, but they don't 'boo', I just felt like a bit of irony.

I started to run after her before realising that I should just go to bed . Suze Simon… _chasing ghosts? _Ghost come after ME, not the other way around.

I crept around the sleeping bodies, and lay down on the thin mattress. Pulling a blanket over me, I lay down on my stomach and was just about to close my eyes when someone grabbed hold of my shoulder and started to shake me.

"Piss Off" I mumbled slipping further into the comforting warmth of the blankets. Is it too much to ask for a little shuteye?

"Suze, wake-up". Obviously not.

I rolled over so that I was on my back, staring up at Paul.

"What do you want?" I yawned.

"Did you hear something… something like screaming?" Paul's eyes narrowed searching my face.

"No Paul" I turned back over "Go to bed".

He started to yank on my earlobe which was _really annoying _so I grabbed his hand and bent the fingers back.

"Ow, Ow. Ok let go!" The muscles in his jaws clenched as if he were gritting his teeth.

I released his hand so suddenly that he toppled over, falling in an awkward position on top of me. He propped himself up on sturdy elbows, making no move to stand up.

The warmth from his body coursed through my veins, and before I knew it, his lips were on mine.

I would be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy it, his mouth was soft and moist, comforting almost. I was well awake now.

Saying I didn't kiss him back would also be a lie. So, sue me? Isn't a girl allowed to have a little fun? My love life was non-existent, and it felt good to be wanted. Although now was not an ideal time, we did have to get _some_ sleep. I decide to push him of me when I felt a cool hand slip under my top.

"Not now Paul, we have to go to sleep". I broke into fits of laughter as his fingers tickled the sensitive skin at me waist.

"Paul, we'll wake the others up!" I whispered, biting my lip to hold back giggles.

"Ok, but we'll continue this conversation tomorrow", he half-grumbled, half-laughed his way off me, giving me a swift kiss and a wink before walking to the other side of the camp. _This 'trip' just got a whole lot more complicated._

&&&&&

"Susannah, wake up". A male voice sounded in my ear.

"Not now Paul, we probably woke up half the others last night", I yawned half-asleep.

"Paul… who's Paul?" _Holy shit…_

I pulled myself up from the mattress, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

_Jesse De Silva_. I shouldhave known.

"You slept in, Susannah. We have a team meeting". I loved how my name sounded on his delicious Spanish accent. How did I not notice his accent before! Oh the shame…

If I could wake up to his face everyday, I wouldn't mind getting up in the morning.

"Yeah. Give me five minutes", I mumbled trying to find something cool to wear, it was like 40º out.

"Not a morning person?" Jesse asked, raising an eyebrow that had a scar running through it. Was there anything on this guy that wasn't hot?!

"No, morning and I aren't on speaking terms". As soon as the sentence came out of my mouth, I realised that it was just about the lamest thing I could have said. Jesse just laughed. Even his laugh was perfect.

I motioned for him to turn around while I changed.

"So what's it like being famous?" I asked him while slipping on a blue tank top. I wanted to keep the conversation going, anything to hear his voice.

"You wouldn't believe how many people have asked me that" he laughed. "It's not as glamourous as most people think, just a whole lot of singing, running away from the media…"

"Yeah, you know… the usual" I interrupted, quickly changing into black shorts. "Done".

He turned around, motioning me to follow him.

"The main reason I agreed to come to _Island X _was to escape all of that, the paparazzi, crazed fans… my amazing musical talent."

"And you're modest too!" I replied, rolling my green (a/n green right?) eyes.

He looked behind his shoulder at me and stuck his tongue out.

Lily lifted up some sort of net to show us as we neared the team.

"Hey sleepy-head, look what I made." It was definitely a net of some kind, I thought as I examined the device. It's handle was made of palm tree leaves weaved together in an uncoordinated mess.

Jesse and I exchanged looks.

"What is it?" I asked, handing it back to Lily.

"A net" she exclaimed, turning it back and forth in her hands, "for catching fish!" I had almost forgotten we had to catch our own food.

"We should allocate groups to do different activities" the person who spoke this time was Briana Marshall, her blue eyes searching our own for answer.

"Good idea" Brian stood next to the actress, "Briana and I will look for breakfast, berries or something." Briana's fingers rubbed at her temples. Something told me she wasn't as fond of Brain as he was her.

"Well I want to try out my net". Lily swiped at the air with her creation. "I'll catch some fish for tea".

"I suppose I could collect some wood for the fire or leaves and moss for bedding." I added. What else was I going to do today?

"I'll help Susannah" Jesse spoke up. Suddenly the prospect of collecting wood sounded much more exciting.

&&&&&

"What about these?" I asked Jesse, holding up a bunch of leaves for inspection.

"They'll do" he replied, effortlessly lifting a heavy log as if it was a feather.

"It's about midday I'd bet". Jesse looked up at the sky, shielding his eyes from the intense glare of the sun. My stomach growled loudly, causing Jesse to raise both eyebrows.

"Hungry?" He laughed, picking up his driftwood.

"Just a little" I answered as we walked back to camp. His mouth stretched open in a wide yawn.

"Tired?"

"Just a little" He grinned, rubbing his chocolate brown eyes. "Some of us didn't have as good of a night as others". He looked over at me suggestively, laughing as a slow red hue crept across my cheeks.

I hadn't seen Paul all day, but I had a feeling he may come to visit again in the night. Sure he was an excellent kisser, and everytime I felt like pulling away I just got dragged back in, but I valued Paul more as a friend and would tell him that… just not now.

We dropped the wood and bedding near the flag and watched as Lily come running up to us from across the shore, holding something in her hands.

"Guys, guys", she panted, proudly lifting up a flaying fish, "I caught one!" Jesse and I laughed and Lily's face fell.

"What's wrong with it?" She asked, her bottom lip sticking out slightly.

"Not you Lily", I broke into fits of giggles, "them!" I pointed behind her towards Briana who was banging her head rhythmically against a palm tree while Brian was patting her hair affectionately.

"She finally cracked", Lily said solemnly, shaking her head in mock-sorrow.

A worried Brian ran up to us, "Something is wrong with Bri". His tear-filled eyes just caused us all to break into new peals of laughter.

Briana waved her arms behind Brian to catch our attention, placing one finger on her lips before rushing off down the beach. Poor Brian. It was only a second before he realised she was gone, and panicked.

"Where is she?" his eyes darted over the beach.

"She went to the toilet". Jesse said seriously, patting him on the shoulder. "Best leave her to it mate."

Brian's head hung on his shoulders, his eyes still held concern.

&&&&&

The afternoon was filled with numerous chores such as building the shelters. This was made more difficult by the many wires from the cameras winding around our feet.

Lisa, the director, told us we would undergo an interview at some point during the day. Yet I was still surprised to be pulled aside by the host.

"So Suze, can I call you that?" Matt asked me, holding a microphone to his lips. Not waiting for an answer, he carried on. "How was your night?"

It was a simple question, easy to answer yet there seemed to be a deeper meaning under the words. Then I remembered the cameras above our beds. He must have seen me act like a complete spaz, slapping nothing in particular then talking to myself. To top it off- if that tape goes on air, which it most likely will- millions of people (including my mum) will see a lovely image of me and Paul, sucking face.

Great, just great.

"Oh yes, I did." I nodded earnestly, trying my best to make up a believable lie… and fast. Luckily, I have had a lot of practice.

"There is heaps of bugs at night though, I was continually swatting them". I sure pulled that one out of my arse.

"Ah yes, that's a problem isn't it, but you weren't trying to keep _everything_ away were you Susannah?" _Sneaky bugger_.

"I really should go" I started to back away from the camera… and Matt's microphone. "My team has a lot to do still." The host's smile grew. He had caught me, and he knew it too.

One to Matt. Zero to Suze.

"Well I hope you have a goodnight and we will keep an eye out for those pesky bugs." He winked at the camera. I wonder how goo he would look with a mouthful of sand…

&&&&&

On the way back to my team I ran into Becky and the coconuts she had been juggling flew to the ground.

"Oh my gosh Suze!" She wrapped her arms around my neck, the coconuts long forgotten. "How's it goin'?" She asked, hazel eyes bright.

"Good, we have almost finished our shelter. What about you?" I bent down to pick up the five coconuts.

"Patrick-the cricketer-has got us going full tilt, I'm so tired." Now that I looked at her I could see her shoulders sagging, arms limp.

"Here, I'll help you bring these back" I picked up all five coconuts and started walking back to camp.

"Thanks Suze" Becky's voice was filled with fatigue, "Hey, I was going to ask you… Paul's been wanting to see you all day, but Patrick won't let him, what's that about?" When I didn't answer, she squealed.

"You didn't did you?" Her voice was laced with excitement. She pulled impatiently at her pleated mini skirt. "C'mon Suze, you can tell me!" I sighed.

"Ok, so we may have played a little tonsil hockey last night--" I had to block my ears from her voice, now several octaves higher. Before she could say anything else on the matter, I piped up.

"Hey… so um Brian's fallen in love." I know it was low, but if I had listened to her screaming any longer my ear drums would have popped. It worked. The colour slowly drained from her face, her eyebrows creased.

"It's nothing really, he just has a little crush on Briana Matthews" I quickly added.

She didn't talk for the rest of the journey back to camp. I didn't know that was a good thing or a bad thing. Just another thing I had to fix.

I dropped the coconuts below the blue flag, no sign of Paul.

"Hey thanks Suze, for taking the coconuts and everything." Becky said, she looked heartbroken. I gave her a quick hug and pulled the corners of her mouth into a smile.

"It will be all right Bex, I'll tell him how ultra sexy you looked today" I joked, a smile appeared at the corners of her mouth. "Plus, Briana doesn't even like him… actually, I think she's quite scared of him." This caused a fit of giggles to escape her lips. Mission accomplished.

"Here take these, we have lots anyway." Becky handed me three coconuts.

"Thanks, and be careful what you do at night, they're watching us." I pointed to the cameras in the palm trees and left her with her mouth wide open in a state of shock.

&&&&&

We had plenty of food that night. Fish, berries, coconuts and bananas. After warning my team about the hidden cameras, we went to bed on the new leaf mattresses we had constructed.

It was supposed to be a cold night so we slept closely together. Lily lay next to me and Jesse slept on my other side, keeping me warm. Although being that close to him kept me wide awake. I thought about curling up beside him, his strong arms wrapped around me. The scary thing was that I wanted it more than anything, but I chose to keep my feelings at bay.

What sealed my decision was the fact that Paul called to me from outside the camera range. Very clever. He used his hand to cover the lens while I slipped out from under my sleeping bag.

We had barely even made it out of the campsite before Paul had his arms around me, kissing my face. Somehow we ended up on the ground and the kisses started to get a little more passionate.

An hour went by with Paul sticking his tongue in my mouth until my lips started to get sore and I pushed him up off me.

"I missed you" he said, stroking my hair.

"Get off!" I laughed, "you only missed by lips"

"What sort of person do you think am?!" Paul placed his hand on his heart in mock-hurt. "I missed your cheeks, your neck, your stomach even you feet." He demonstrated by kissing the various parts of my body causing me to squirm in delight. _What? It felt nice…_

It was another hour before I crept back into my sleeping bag with Paul covering the camera.

On the other side of the island, I swear I heard a girl wailing…

**Tada… hope you all liked it. Not the best writing ever, but hey, at least it's all there!**

**Thanks again to everyone taking the time to update, loves to you, and I will try to update as fast as I can (Don't quote me on that).**

**Reba**

**xx**


	6. Trouble

**Hey girls (and guys??)**

**I'm aiming for 35 reviews before I update next. Hint hint.**

**Thanks to those who are reviewing constantly. Loves to you! **

**Hope everyone likes this chapter!**

Trouble

I had a dream last night. I don't even know if you would call it a dream. It was…. not normal.

First, there was nothing.

No sound or movement, no dust, no shadows. Just darkness.

Suddenly, a colourful, baby sparrow flitted into the vision. It would fluff up its feathers, so proud of their radiant colour and peck at nothing in particular. Joining the little bird was a black and white kitten. Cute and innocent, yet cocky. Tail stuck straight up in the air, its chest out, the little cat made its way over to the sparrow. The bird would preen the kitten's fur and in return, the cat provided warmth for the chick.

The dream continued this way for a while longer before something strange happened. The darkness seemed to get darker.

In one swift movement, the kitten had swallowed the bird. Its tongue washed over bloodied fangs, back arched, claws ripping up the nothingness.

And just as sudden as the murder, the cat was gone. Leaving no trace of the terrible deed.

What had scared me the most were the kitten's eyes. Never resting in one place, always following something, yet nothing at the same time.

So it stands to reason that relief was the only thing I felt when I woke up in the night, sweat leaking out of my pores like a waterfall. The amounts of air I breathed in just weren't enough.

I pulled myself up from under flax-woven sheets, shaking sand off my clothes.

The closer I got to the beach, the better I felt. I stopped when I started to feel the cool sea-spray tickling my face. _Much better _I thought to myself as I lay down on the sand.

I only got an hour of sleep before someone fell over me, landing on the ground with an _oomph_.

I sat up so fast my head spun.

"Jesse?!" I gasped as the culprit grinned up at me sheepishly. "Couldn't get to sleep either?"

"No". He grumbled regaining his composure. "I'm not usually like this by the way, its just dark and…"

"Save it for the judge" I laughed, lying on my side so I could see his face.

The moonlight enhanced his features, making him look hotter than usual (if that's possible). On the other hand, it could have been the fact that he had no shirt on, his muscular stomach causing my eyes to widen considerably. Yeah, now that I think about it probably wasn't the moonlight.

I suddenly had the urge to tell Jesse about my dream. So I did.

After I had finished, he smiled at me, showing a set of perfectly white teeth that contrasted with his olive skin. My stomach flip-flopped. Did this guy even know the effect he had on me?

"You have really disturbing dreams" he raised one eyebrow. "Maybe it's an omen?" he laughed waving his fingers in the air, "spooky".

With his accent, it sort of sounded like 'spocky' and I couldn't help but to clutch my stomach in an attempt to supress giggles. Tendrils of hair fell in front of my face and I tried, in vain, to blow them away.

Before I could respond, Jesse's warm fingers touched my cheek, tucking the strands behind my ear. I pressed my cheek into his fingers, relishing his soft, yet surprisingly calloused hands. I could just see the corner of his mouth twitch upwards in one-hell-of-a-sexy half-smile.

Shivers ran up my spine but not from the cold. Jesse must have thought I was because he hugged me to his chest. Well I wasn't going to correct him.

I felt my eyelids close as I listened to the soft beating of his heart. In response, I curled up, closer to him, my own heart leaping out of my chest at the intimate position. Jesse didn't seem to think it was anything par normal.

"Goodnight querida" he whispered into my ear but I was already half-asleep.

&&&&&

"Go away". I grumbled at the sun, willing the night to replay several more times. I had felt safe and special with Jesse and I knew that as soon as morning came along it would end.

We hadn't moved since last night so there was nobody to wake us up but I could see the bright light behind my lids. Funnily enough, the night had been cold despite Jesse's masculine warmth surrounding me.

"We should probably get up" I heard Jesse say (to my delight) half-heartedly and in his strong, early-morning accent.

I felt Jesse yank himself up from under me, a flurry of- what I expected to be Spanish swear words- escaping his mouth.

My head landed on cold sand and my eyes automatically shot open. My clothes were absolutely _drenched_.

Jumping up, I saw that the tide had come in during the night, no wonder it had been cold.

We glanced at each other. Jesse had a look of pure shock on his face, and his jeans dripped seawater. We stood still for a few minutes before bursting out with laughter.

It seemed like hours before we calmed down enough to think about heading back to camp. A camera flashed nearby, catching us in all our glory, its bearer smiling broadly as if he had just caught his first fish. Which in a way, he had.

Before I could consult him with my fists, he was gone. Jesse grabbed my forearm and steered me in the direction of the camp.

"Oh no Susannah. Lets aim to stay out of trouble for the rest of the day, ok?" I just grinned like a love-sick puppy.

"I wouldn't dream of it"

&&&&&

The first sign of trouble came in the form of Paul.

"Where have you been?" he asked after I had finished getting changed out of my sopping, wet clothes.

I pretended not to hear him as I prepared the fish. We had started up a roster for the meals and I was on breakfast today.

He lifted my chin up, his fingers stabbing the skin near the bone. "So where did you go?" his eyes searched my face, narrowing.

"Nowhere" I glared back at him, sensing the muscles in his arm tense, ready to strike.

"Don't you dare." I hissed, watching a smile play across his face.

As soon as his hand came up, I had my knee poised and ready to 'hit him where it hurts' but someone bet me to it.

"I think Susannah is done talking to you" A voice sounded calmly behind Paul. Jesse's fingers gripped Paul's fist, a growl starting up at the back of his throat.

"Jesse de Silva" Paul spat, turning around, his nails digging deeper into my skin.

"I suggest you let go of Susannah… now". I had never seen Jesse look like that before… intimidating and… protective. Fear flashed across Paul's normally smug face.

"And what are you going to do if I don't?" His nails scratched, drawing blood from my skin.

Paul didn't even have time to react before the fist smashed into his face.

Jesse grabbed my hand, pulling me away from Paul and his bleeding nose. Once we were well away Jesse stopped, running a hand through his hair.

"Nombre de Dios Susannah, what sort of company do you keep?" I don't know if it was the lack of sleep or Paul's sudden change of character that I started to cry. Which was weird for me since I'm not an emotional person. I don't _do_ crying.

I told my brain to stop the tears but it wasn't listening.

"Oh Susannah" Jesse sighed, producing a hanky from his pocket and held me in an embracing hug.

After some time, I stopped crying- I was surprised I had held that much water in me- and Jesse stroked my hair.

"I think you should stay away from him" Jesse advised, using his thumb to wipe away a stray tear. "We should be getting back, we have a challenge to complete this afternoon and I don't plan on going home… do you?" He pulled the corners of my mouth into a smile. "Much better". His laughter sounded like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

&&&&&

The second sign of trouble came in the form of a certain ghost.

I was climbing a tree, reaching for a bunch of bananas when I felt a hand grab my ankle. I held the branch of the tree tightly with one hand and the bananas with the other.

The person yanked on my foot, pulling me down from the tree.

As I fell, the only thing I could think of was to keep the fruit safe. Holding the bananas up in the air so as not to land on them, I fell onto sand, my ankle twisting in an awkward position.

I turned to face Savannah. A hand covered her mouth as she let out a gasp.

"You're going to pay for that!" I yelled at her, nursing my ankle as another shot of pain ran up my leg.

"I didn't mean to… honestly" the ghost-girl's innocent eyes widened. "I didn't know I was that strong, sorry!"

"I'll show you sorry!!" I shouted. Getting up, I hobbled over to her but it didn't have the desired effect. I sighed, leaning on a nearby palm tree for support. "What do you want?"

Savannah seemed to be thinking about what to say.

"Can you hurry up? I'd prefer to actually partake in the challenge so I don't have to go home." If I didn't get back soon they would start without me.

"I need you to give someone a message for me" the girl's eyes glowed with hatred.

"Who? A grandma, a father, a dog, a friend?" I moved positions causing my ankle to pulse. "I can't really give a message, since I'm on an island. Or haven't you noticed?" The pain in my foot was making me cranky.

"Oh, no…. he's on the island alright." Savannah growled, fists clenched, a contradiction to her sweet and innocent personality.

"Who? Spit it out." I groaned. This just wasn't my day.

She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. Her eyes widened, she placed a hand on her throat, clawing at something invisible- not just to me but seemingly to her as well.

As much as she annoyed me, I couldn't help but to like her, she had that whole nice thing down pat. Thinking she was choking, I patted her on the back.

"WHAT?!" She shrieked, the hold on her speech obviously released.

"Can you tel-" she started to say before choking again. She coughed and hacked, tears streaming down her face.

"Tell who?" I was getting fed up with this charade game. Something fishy was going on- excuse the cliché.

The girl shook her head sadly, pointing to her throat. "I can't say". This was definitely bordering on weird.

"Can you tell him that he won't get away with it? And that Savannah knows what Lucy is doing." The ghost asked. "Thank-you Susannah".

"What? Tell who? Who's Lucy?" I yelled at her fading form.

"You come back right now Savannah! DO NOT GIVE ME CRYPT MESSAGES!!!" But she was already gone and I was late.

**Like it? Review!**

**Reba**

**xx**


	7. Day Three

**You guys are the best! I received more than 15 reviews for the last chapter! THANK-YOU! I hate it when people put a goal for the number of reviews they get so I won't do it anymore. Seriously, I'm so glad everyone likes the story! I love to hear what you have to say and will make a shout-out for the next chappie. **

**I'm going to do a disclaimer now. Better late than never.**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own it. Meg Cabot does.**

**I tried to update fast as a sort of reward but school got in the way =P. However, this chapters the longest I've done so I hope you like it! Thanks for sticking with it.**

**Day Three**

"What the hell Susannah?!" Jesse grabbed my arm, pulling me down so that I sat next to him. Everyone stared at me… except Paul.

"Matt was going to disqualify you! Do you want to go home?"

I couldn't speak straight away. I was still puffed from my marathon dash to make it back in time.

"Why are---you so---worried?" I panted, head between my knees. "I made---it---didn't I?"

"I just don't want you to go home. Not yet." He replied. So much for slowing my heart rate. It was practically doing a hoe-down in my chest. Well if he didn't want me to leave, then I wouldn't. See Father Dom? I _do_ help other people!

"Susannah… what happened to your foot?" I looked down to find that my ankle had swollen to about twice its size.

"Um… you don't want to know."

"Yes, I do. I catch on fast." He placed my foot on his thigh, using soft hands to feel around the growing bump.

"No… you _really _don't want to know" I winced as he touched a particularly sensitive part.

"Why do you always manage to find trouble Susannah? Just stay here, I'll be right back." He went to leave but stopped short.

"Susannah, you need to let go so that I can get you some help" he looked amused and I grinned sheepishly up at him.

"Sorry" I mumbled as I dropped handfuls of his shirt. He kissed the top of my head and laughed. "I won't be gone for long. Stay out of trouble" He ran off, every step he took away from me caused my heart to wrench. The more time I spent with Jesse the more I sounded like a character from a romance novel.

"Hey Suze, you look burnt-out" Lily came to sit by my side. Why was everybody suddenly concerned for my welfare? I just groaned, rubbing my face hard with my hands. My team crowded around, discussing my swollen ankle and asking whether I was all right. Lily then handed me a red shirt. I pulled it on once I noticed that we had to wear our team colours.

Only Becky came from Team Milan to chat. Paul sat sulkily on the ground, glaring daggers at Jesse who was currently arguing with Matt. Paul's nose was bruised.

"She can't compete with a twisted ankle!" Jesse's accent reached my ears. The host's voice was much more controlled and I had to strain so that I could hear him. "—had chosen. Everybody has to participate. It's in the contract." I could see Jesse grit his teeth as he walked back to the group. He had an icepack in his hand and, upon returning, placed it gently on my ankle.

He then swore colourfully, "I'm sorry Susannah, you'll have to take part in the challenge." I didn't mind participating but I wasn't going to admit it. I quite liked Jesse's protective streak.

He nursed my foot, carefully wrapping bandages around it with the precision of an ambulance driver. Ok, don't ask me how I knew that, I've just been to the hospital a lot.

Yet, it was time like these that I completely forgot that Jesse was a famous singer, sought out by millions of girls. I just thought of him as a friend- and maybe a little more.

When he had finished treating my ankle he looked up into the half-a-dozen faces staring back at him.

"How did you _do_ that?" Brian gaped at Jesse, eyes wide with respect.

"I've always wanted to be a doctor but somehow fame got in the way" he shrugged nonchalantly.

"That. Was. Amazing." Amber snuck up behind Jesse. "I've always loved a man who can look after himself." She started to rub his shoulders and I fought back the bile rising in my throat. Jesse just shrugged her off.

"So do you think you'll be ok now?" he turned his chocolate-brown eyes towards me.

"Thanks. It's great." I smirked at Amber who snorted in disgust and walked back to her team, a frown creasing the corners of her mouth.

&&&&

A camera crew advanced into the clearing led by the ever-charming Mr. King.

"Are you guys ready for your first challenge?" Groans escaped the group. "Too bad. Get up, we're leaving."

We walked for about thirty minutes- well I sort of hobbled, leaning on Jesse for support- until we reached a clearing. In the middle of the sand field, there were two pits, each about 5m by 5m. Filled with mud.

"There is NO WAY I'm going in there" Amber pointed at the pools of sludge, pinching her snub nose.

"Then you don't have to honey." The host replied. People with make-up circled him, brushing, tinting, pinching and fixing his face and hair.

"Really?" Amber smiled gratefully at Matt.

"NO!" He laughed as her lips pouted and her feet scuffed up sand clouds. I almost felt sorry for her… ok, I didn't, not even a little bit.

Someone approached the host and placed a small microphone on the collar of his shirt. When he addressed us next his voice was double the volume.

"Ok everyone we're on in five. When I explain the challenge to you, just stand there and try not to notice the cameras, understand?" We all exchanged looks as if to say; _Not notice the cameras? How? They're right in our faces!!_

Team Milan went over to stand by the blue flag. The leader of the group -Patrick- brought his team into a huddle. The hushed tones of their voices reminded us that it was a competition and someone was going home.

"Group huddle" Jesse called out, pulling us into a tight circle. "Pretend that we're talking" Jesse whispered, his breath tickling my cheek.

"No" Lily laughed, "Let me do it." She looked at each of our faces in turn. "We are going into battle today. One by one, our opponents will fall until we come through victorious. Our foe's blood will seep through…"

Lily trailed off when she noticed the shocked looks on our faces.

"Dramatic" I laughed. "I wasn't planning on _killing_ anyone exactly… were you?" Lily grinned sheepishly.

"I tried. You want to go?"

I sigh reserved for old people- or mothers- rattled my bones. I realised how tired I was. "Ok guys. Somebody on this island is going home today and it is not going to be anybody wearing red. Who's with me?" The group chorused in agreement.

"Team Khana" I whispered, everybody joined in and the chant grew louder until we were shouting.

"Good luck querida" I wrapped my arms around Jesse, savouring his warm and familiar scent.

"Hey, Jesse" I asked when we separated "what does querida mean?"

He was about to reply when Matt shouted over the cheering. "We're on in five." We hurriedly arranged ourselves, finger combing our hair and straightening our clothes.

"Hello and welcome back to _Island X. _Today our two teams will battle it out in the mud pits." We followed Matt to the pools.

"One person from each team will be picked at random. Once a name is drawn from the hat, the contestants will have twenty seconds to find a coconut in the mud and bring it back to their team. Oh… and did I mention that there are a number of other occupants in our pits?"

Everybody leaned over to look at the sludge. Matt was right. Cockroaches, worms, centipedes and beetles emerged and disappeared from the mud.

"Just as well I like bugs" I mumbled trying to keep my breakfast down. Jesse squeezed my hand reassuringly.

"Twenty seconds goes fast contestants." He walked over to me. "Susannah you can pick first."

I put my hand in a hat, fishing around in the pieces of paper. Pulling one out, I unfolded it and read it aloud.

"Jesse De Silva" I mouthed _sorry _to him as he stepped up to the pit. Then Matt went to Team Milan and told Scott to pick from the hat. "Scott Dale… Oh shit." The cocky MTV presenter moaned as, he too, stepped forward.

"Once you have found a coconut you must run back to you team and place it in the basket near your flag. Ready?" The guys nodded reluctantly. A horn sounded nearby, causing us to jump.

Stepping into the pit, Jesse sunk until the mud reached his chest. It would probably come up to my neck. Scott plunged right into the muck, searching with his hands for a coconut.

Jesse found his first, striding towards us as if this was just a daily stroll in the park. Except he was covered with mud.

"Ten seconds left!" Matt shouted, I could just imagine a little timer at the corner of the t.v screen, counting down the seconds as Scott frantically searched for his fruit. (a/n does anyone know what a coconut is categorized as?) The celebrity found a coconut in the last five seconds.

"I have never seen that boy move so fast" Lily laughed.

The next two competing were Briana and Patrick. The cricketer found his coconut as soon as he stepped in the pit.

"Show off." Briana huffed, still searching.

"Ten seconds!" Matt warned her, I felt like punching him.

"Time!" Briana pulled herself from the muck. "Sorry guys" she pouted, shedding cockroaches.

Lily pulled my name from the hat. "Go get them Suze!" She encouraged me as I stepped forward.

_They're just bugs. They're just bugs._ I recited in my head, trying not to look at the things moving in the mud.

"Amber Dunn" Someone called out. Said girl glared daggers at me as she made her way to the 'arena'.

"This outta' be good" I muttered.

The horn blared without warning. I jumped into the pit, the sludge came up to my neck, just as I had predicted. The mud felt cool on my warm skin as I searched for the allusive coconut. I glanced at Amber as she stepped in.

"This is SO gross!" she shrieked.

My hand clasped around an object.

"Got it!" I yanked my hand out of the muck to find that my prize was not a coconut. I automatically let go and watched the skull sink back into the murky depths. _Boy was I starting to hate Matt._

"Ten seconds!"

I could hardly hear the host's call, the pounding in my ears drowned out every other sound. Bugs crawled in my T-shirt, something tickled my foot. I bit my tongue and kept looking, no way was Amber going to beat me!

I touched another round object. Hoping that this time the thing wasn't dead, I lifted my hand.

Someone screamed for joy close to my ear until I realised that it was me.

"Five seconds!" Racing back to the red flag, I placed the coconut in the basket. My ankle throbbed from the sprint. I watched everyone crowd around as if not quite connected to my body.

Amber finally found her coconut but didn't have time to make it back to her team.

"The score is two-all" Matt stated.

Becky and Lily were up next. They both found their coconuts with less than five seconds to spare.

"Last up is Paul Slater and Brian McDonald" The host announced.

Both teams watched the last contestants with anticipation. At ten seconds left to go, both students were struggling to find anything. Going last would be harder since only one coconut was left in each pit.

Butterflies erupted from my stomach. "We can't lose" I whispered, hugging myself as the sweat and mud cooled on my body.

Brain's lanky build was no match for Paul's own muscular frame. Paul waded through the muck as if it were water. Diving into the mud, he came out with his prize and wasted no time in bringing it back to his team.

"Time!" Brian hadn't found his coconut and the score stood at four-three.

Realising that I still held my breath I exhaled as did everyone in red. Team Milan whooped with joy, their excited voices adding to our sullen moods.

"I think we have a winner!" Matt approached the blue team.

"The winners tonight will be rewarded" Cue the cheers. "Whereas the losing team will vote off on--" the host stopped suddenly.

"Hey what's this?" he leaned to peer into the blue teams basket. He reached in and pulled out one of the coconuts. Except it wasn't a coconut.

I had never been so happy to see a skull before in my life.

"I'm afraid this changes things" he shook his head sadly at Paul.

"Team Khana are the new winners" Someone swept me up in a bear hug that squeezed all the breath from my lungs.

"Team Khana's prize will be a night spent in our 'party tent'. The losing _and_ winning team, however, will have to meet at the campfire where one member of Milan will be voted off." Matt signaled to the camera.

"And cut, good work everyone" the host clapped his hands. "I especially liked the skull/coconut mishap, ratings are going to go through the roof! Team Milan go back to camp. Team Khana, come with me."

We happily followed him to a big tent that could easily fit at least fifty people.

"It's all yours, just don't forget to meet at the fire by six. Oh… and congratulations." He walked away, leaving us gaping at huge Marquee before us.

I don't know how, but it all suddenly became a race. I was leading the parade until I tripped over someone and tumbled to the ground.

It was Savannah.

"I have a bone to pick with you." My usual anger when dealing with the paranormal didn't contaminate my voice. I was just too damn happy.

"You need to tell him Susannah." Then she disappeared. Again.

I would have stood up if several bodies hadn't fallen over mine.

"Geph off meh" I mumbled, the four laughing bodies constricting my speech.

Weight lifted off me until only Jesse was left, propped up on sturdy elbows above me. I had to say, at that moment, our faces were only a few inches apart.

Eager to bridge the gap, I leant forward, his warm breath sending chills down my spine.

And then it all went away.

I sat up quickly. "What's wrong?" I asked Jesse who was sitting on the ground with his head between his knees.

"I…." He trailed off with a sigh. "I can't Susannah."

"Why?!" I was shocked at the whine that came from my mouth. He sighed again.

"Relationships with me always end badly." He sifted a handful of sand through his fingers. "Do you remember Amy-Lee?" I had to think for a second.

"The girl you dated for like… two years?"

"Yeah that one." He replied "She became so dependant on the media and paparazzi that she went crazy when I told her she wasn't right for me."

I was starting to wonder where this was going.

"And do you remember Georgia Jarvey?" I nodded. I knew almost every girl Jesse had dated. CeeCee kept a record.

"I went out with her for two days before the reporters drove her mental." He brushed a strand of hair from my face. "I don't want it to happen to you too."

"I'm strong, I can handle it." I snuggled closer to him until he was forced to wrap an arm around my shoulders.

"Don't take this the wrong way, I really do like you. Hell I might even--" he inhaled sharply, running as hand through his hair. "I just don't want you to get hurt. Anyone but you."

"Too late for that" I pointed at my bandaged ankle. You couldn't even see the tape anymore, it was covered with mud. "Maybe we should just be friends." I choked out before I could beg him to reconsider. _Damn, why the hell did I say that!?_

The muscles in Jesse's jaw clenched. "Yeah that would be best." We both sighed at the same time. Realising the coincidence, we started to laugh.

Everything was back to normal. Great.

**Voila! Long wasn't it? It took me, like, all day to type up. I missed my favourite program! Thanks again to my faithful reviewers. R/R.**

**Reba**

**xxxx**


	8. Elimination Night

**Hey gurlies!!**

**Sorry I haven't updated in ages… I was about to until I heard about Michael Jackson's death and almost had a heart attack!! I have been in quite isolation ever since…**

**Anywho, I am going to do some shout-outs as I promised because I absolutely adore you guys! I just love the feedback I'm receiving ( 19 for the last chappie! ) and hopefully I will resume at a quicker pace… **

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**..Seraphina.x.** = I'm glad I'm not on the island either! I am not a fan of bugs… they are called creepy crawleys for a reason, but every living thing has a purpose. (I sounded a bit like a fortune cookie there…) Although if Jesse WAS on the island… How bad could it be?

**I want to be Jesse's girl** = Thank-you for the feedback! Haha, I enjoy reading your reviews! I agree, everyone assumes Paul will be the bad guy… but I'm not giving away anything. Lol *blush* thanks for all your compliments!

**TraylorxChaylor** = I know right?! He is like… perfect, the ultimate guy! *sigh*

** 3eliic.X** = You said that Savannah is the same as Susannah only with an _a & v_? It's the same with Brian and Brianna, I didn't even realise until I put it in the story! Kinda confusing… all the similar names.

**Mo ()** = You'll have to wait and see… *insert evil laugh here*

**MZC16** = Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it…

**Free The Dancing Llamas** = Haha. Intense? Wasn't the effect I was going for, but I'll take it!!

**Literati Lover** = Thanks. =)

**Jesse de Silva is MINE** = Who said she is going to snog Jesse…? Mwahaha. Thanks for your review!

**punkmisbah ()** = Here is the update! Enjoy…

**AsItThunders** = Cheers! Hope you like this chapter.

**kellly :P ()** = Better than the original? What a compliment! Thanks!! I doubt I'll ever be as good as Meg Cabot but a girl can dream…

**Rockaholick** = Wow! I think I have a fan here… Lol I'm guessing you like J/S pairings?? Haha, I hope you enjoy this chappie then!

**marie0920** = They didn't move very fast.. Lol it took me two days to type this up! I'm glad you find it interesting.

**Spunkalovely** = Hmmm… Most people who have reviewed have different ideas about who it is. Who is it I wonder? Don't you just love the suspense? Haha

**Ivy of Olau** = Hey you! Thanks for the reviews… =)

**iamnessie** = Killing you? That's messy… I'm glad I was right about the coconut being a fruit! I was worried that it was going to be a real simple answer, that would have been embarrassing! Lol enjoy the chapter.

**writer'sblock7777** = Good to have you back on board! I hadn't planned on bringing the skull element into the story, as well as many other things… oh well, you surprise yourself sometimes!

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**Xxxx I dedicate this story to xxxX**

**Michael Jackson.**

**My inspiration, my role model, a legend…**

**Xxxxv Love you MJ. Rest In Peace. xxxxX**

*****  
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**Elimination Night**

When Jesse and I finally stumbled into the tent, the party was well underway. Someone had flicked on a strobe light and we tucked into the buffet table of food before us. I knew I had to be quick- what with two guys on the team who have bottomless pits for stomachs- so I did the only thing I could think of at the time… stuff food down my top.

After I grabbed what I could, I ran over to a bright purple beanbag and, in the process, dropped my lute. Jesse's laughter rang like a song in my ears.

"Here, let me help you with that," He picked up the food, still chuckling to himself.

"And what Mr. Perfect is so funny?" I stood straight, with my hands on my hips, "I was just saving myself from starvation because apes like you just eat and eat and eat!"

"An ape? Really mature Susannah…" Jesse held my food in his arms- his very muscular arms. "Well then, I might just keep these," He started to walk away but not before calling over his shoulder, "you don't need them anyway, fatty." I knew he was teasing by the twinkle in his eye but I jumped him anyway.

I covered his mouth with my hands and tugged at the food. Something wet touched my hand and I leapt back. "He licked me!!" I cried out, to the amusement of the team. Jesse looked up at me with a sheepish grin and handed back my collection.

&&&&&&

After arguing over the rest of the food and what music to play, we all agreed on one thing- the tent was amazing! Multi-coloured streamers and balloons hung from the ceiling and- apart from several brightly coloured bean bags, a giant stereo and the buffet table that had been pushed into the far corner- the room was empty, perfect for dancing.

Out of the CD's stacked high against the sound system Lily discarded all but one. A mixed track that we all said would do.

The first few songs were techno, and after standing with cocktails in our hands for a few minutes, we started to dance. Later we struck one of Jesse's songs on the mix, which I had to admit was quite weird, and we all wanted to hear him sing it live.

"No, I'm not doing it! Just listen to the CD." Jesse argued. I folded my hands across my chest and pouted, trying hard to perfect the puppy-dog look.

"Please Jesse," I batted my eyelashes. His eyebrows creased together and he frowned- very cutely I might add.

"C'mon Jesse" we chorused, pushing him to the front of the room by the stereo. Brian brought over a stool from the table for him to sit on.

"I don't have a mike…" His voice floated off.

"You don't need one silly! We can hear you perfectly" Lily laughed, turning off the music.

"That's what I was afraid off" Jesse said it so quietly that only I could hear him, and barely at that.

"I wanted to get away from work" he looked everywhere… but at us, "You guys are my friends, I don't want to mix the two together…" He looked at his feet. I had never seen him that shy before.

We all assumed he wasn't going to perform, so when he broke into the chorus of his number-one-hit_ 'You and me and her' _we were a bit surprised.

Sometimes when I lie awake

I think of what I'm gonna' say,

yet no amount of preparation

blocks out the shade of gray.

***

We are back to where we left off

but I can't remember where we were,

the only words that come to mind are:

you and me and her.

Nobody spoke. We couldn't. His voice was a perfect lullaby, echoing in my brain long after he was finished. Everything about him pulled me in. He was like a magnet and he didn't even realize it. His face, his accent, his body, his personality and, more importantly, his voice attracts girls within a five mile radius. Yet he thinks he ruins their lives… the guy is a god in human form and he is oblivious!

"Did you write that song?" Someone asked.

Jesse nodded, looking at his feet.

"Whoah!" Applause broke out from the collected audience.

"Sorry, I'm… um… usually better with a guitar."

It was then that I realized I was in love with Jesse De Silva.

&&&&&&&

After that performance, Lily got up to sing her songs but even she knew that she couldn't top Jesse. He sat beside me on a bean bag while Lily was singing.

"Hey…." Jesse started to say before realizing that there was _nothing_ to say. Sure, he was amazing to listen to on a CD, but live? I was pretty much swept off my feet. Nobody warned me… HE didn't even warn me...

"I need to get some air" I told Jesse and walked outside. Maybe I was just being a drama queen or, God forbid, _Amber _but I found it hard to even look at Jesse, let alone hear him at that moment.

I leant against a palm tree and closed my eyes. The sound of the ocean lulled me to sleep. Yet I was only asleep five minutes before Lily found me.

"I was that bad, huh?" She sat beside me.

"Yeah you were absolutely horrible… you sounded like a dying cat." I rolled my eyes and shoved her playfully. "I used to worship you, you know."

"Really? That's kinda' creepy…" She laughed and then stopped. "Wait… USED to?"

I smiled wide. "It would be weird to worship a friend."

"Aww!" Lily wrapped an arm around me; her purple-tinted hair tickled my face. "I love you too Suze!" I would never have imagined the day when the famous Lily Harland would consider me her friend.

"So, Jesse was good wasn't he?" She mused, pushing her fingers into the sand. "Considering he started when he was only twelve, he's come along way. I remember when Dixtra Records wanted a copy of…" She continued to talk, but I wasn't listening. To her at least…

I could here Jesse's familiar voice over the others inside the tent, he was asking if anyone had seen me around. Why did he care about me when there was so many other girls tracking his every move? _Stop it Suze. Think of other things. Don't the birds sound pretty? Yeah… think about them. Pretty birds… _

I smiled dreamily, thinking of Jesse's laughter. Boy did that sound prettier than those damn birds….

"…it was fake! Can you believe that! The nerve of… Suze!" She shook me. "Are you even listening to me!" I shook my head, it was a spontaneous action…

"SNAP!" Lily shouted, and to make a point… snapped her fingers. "You like him… you like Jesse De Silva!"

I brushed it off. "Doesn't every girl?" I laughed, silently wishing that they didn't.

"Speaking of the devil…" Lily pushed herself up off the ground. "I'll leave you two love birds alone…"

I just shook my head, not really having the heart to lie to her again.

"It's gorgeous out here" Jesse took Lily's place, stretching out his legs.

"Yup" I mumbled, trying, in vain, to make up an excuse for a sudden escape. "You're an amazing singer" I told him instead.

"I wish you of all people wouldn't say that…" He folded up his legs.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want you to think of me as some stuck-up celebrity. I want you to think of me as a normal person." _Haha, who was he kidding?_

"You are my friend, Jesse." I gritted my teeth, "I wouldn't think of you as anything but."

After that, there was an awkward silence. The first I had ever had with Jesse. I also had a feeling that it wouldn't be the last.

&&&&&

Hours went by, no one was keeping track of the time, until the six o'clock bell sounded across the island; elimination time.

Feeling full, and sad to leave the tent, Khana made their way to the campsite. To describe our aura, I'd most likely say 'tipsy'. Whether it was from the martinis or just raw joy, we started to sing 'We are the champions' as we neared Team Milan. I couldn't help but notice Jesse's soft tenor rising above the others.

"A bit happy are we Red?" Matt watched us as we stumbled over a log with our arms linked. He waited until we were seated to signal the cameras.

"We are on in five, four…" A man held up three fingers and put each down to signal the start of the recording.

"As you all know, tonight is elimination night and one contestant from the Blue team will be voted off." Matt had the right amount of sincerity for a person who couldn't care less who left the island.

"Here I have five slips of paper, one for each member of Team Milan." The host held up said pieces of card, which he then distributed out with pencils.

"They will each write one name – and one name only – of the person they wish to see off the island. You have thirty seconds to decide." I silently thanked God that I wasn't in their position, it would be hard enough to choose a person, let alone be up for elimination.

The sun had set early on the island, creating the perfect postcard picture of dusk. The palm fronds whistled in the balmy breeze, their shadows illuminated by the soft glow of the campfire. I felt in awe of the island.

I could make out the ocean in the distance, the sun's rays settling on it like a blanket. I couldn't help but smile at the beauty of everything, and I guessed that Jesse couldn't either.

His hundred-watt grin only added to the wonder of this place and I had to push my swirling emotions into the back of my head while Jesse wrapped his arms around me.

"Mmmm" I mumbled as he kissed the top of my head.

"Querida I --" Jesse started to say before Matt rudely awoke me from my pleasant reverie.

"Let's see who will be leaving tonight…" Matt pointed to Beccy, "turn over your card"

Beccy – being the peacemaker she is – hesitated before showing what would be, The United States of America, her slip of paper.

"Patrick " Matt read the name, "What's the grudge Moore? Why did you pick our famous cricketer?"

"I'm so sorry Patrick. You just pushed us all too hard." Beccy looked at her other team mates for consent. They were nodding their heads subtly.

"Then I can guess who you all choose, am I correct?" The others flipped over their cards to reveal _Patrick_ written in their individual scrawl. Patrick's paper read _Scott Dale_.

"I'm sure we are all curious Patrick, not that it changes anything… why Scott?"

"He creeps me out" We all stifled laughter as Scott tried to stare the cricketer down.

"Well it's unanimous. Patrick, you must leave _Island X_." Everyone came up to say his or her good-byes and Matt cut the film with a parting shot of Patrick leaving for a helicopter.

"It's seven-thirty. You must all return to your camps in half-an-hour. We don't want anyone fainting from lack of sleep… or maybe we do! Imagine all the people who would enjoy that…" Matt walked away with the camera crew, the sound of his voice leaving us cringing, or worse... wanting a piece of his flesh.

I watched Patrick's fading back until I remembered something.

Running as fast as I could with a swollen ankle, I managed to catch up with him just as he was entering the helicopter.

"Stacy, is it?" Patrick asked me as I fought to catch my breath.

"No — it's — Susannah." I panted. "Um – can I – ask you – something?" He looked at me suspiciously, slowly backing up the steps of the helicopter.

"Um… I guess?"

I struggled to remember what she had said.

"Um… Savannah said that… you won't get away with it, and, um… she knows what Luna… no, wait… LUCY! Yeah, Lucy… she knows what Lucy is doing." I finished my sorry excuse for a message.

Patrick looked at me like I was a talking dog or something.

"Who's Savannah? Who's Lucy?" At least I could cross out one suspect.

Patrick yelled at the pilot, "Step on it Bill! This girl is nuts!" The doors of the helicopter closed around the celebrity and took off, leaving me covered in sand and furious.

It's wasn't my fault I had been saddled with an annoying-yet-frustratingly-nice ghost who wanted me to deliver a message to God knows who! _He's probably going to put a restraining order on me… great, like I need another one…_

"Happy Savannah!? I'm gonna' have to go through every single guy on this gods forsaken island just because you can't tell me who it is!" I yelled at thin air, luckily there were no cameras around… that I knew of. "Well, aren't you going to come out and thank me for the effort!"

But as always, she didn't show up. I wasn't surprised… they never do.

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**That was my attempt at song lyrics... embarrassing. lol**

**Nothing much happened in this chapter did it? Well it will soon… I think…**

**Review!**

**Toorah…**

**Reba**

**xx**


	9. Day Four

**Wow! I haven't updated in **_**ages**_**…**

**I totally forgot about it (naughty becca!). So here is the next chappie.**

**Thanks to everyone who added me, and this story, to their favourites… you guys make my day!**

**Oh and how could I forget my faithful reviewers? This ones for you…**

**Day Four**

I had the dream again last night. You know, the one with the cat and the bird and the shadows. Except this time it was…. Different.

After committing its foul deed, its tongue moist with blood, the Cat glanced nervously around in the darkness instead of disappearing. Then the weirdest thing happened. It looked at me.

Don't ask me how or why but it did. It just… stared at me, with this… this grin on its face. Which is why at one o'clock in the morning I'm lying awake, pinching myself so that I don't fall asleep again. I'm not a baby but that dream was creepy. End of story.

Fortunately Jesse was starting to wake up; I would have someone to talk to.

Staring up at me half-asleep, Jesse's eyebrows creased. "Susannah are you alright?" When I didn't answer he sat up next to me, placing his hand at the small of my back. I moved away, remembering those bloody cameras.

"I had the dream again" I whispered, still trembling. There was only ONE thing that freaked me out more than that dream… bugs.

"Oh, Susannah" he sighed, taking my hand in his where the camera couldn't see it. "It's just a dream".

"I don't think it is Jesse" I glanced up at his gorgeous, concerned face. "Someone is trying to tell me something, it is so frustrating, what with Savannah and everything" I sighed, "It feels like I have started a book without reading the beginning".

Jesse searched my eyes with his, "Who is Savannah?"

_Shit_. I couldn't tell him about my 'special ability'. It was just too risky. On the other hand, I could cross him off my suspect list. Not that I really suspected him but you can't be too careful. I have learnt _that_ the hard way.

"Um… Never mind," I reluctantly took my hand from his. "Hey I'm sorry for waking you"

"It's okay querida, I enjoy talking to you." He was starting to fall asleep again. "If you ever have that dream again, wake me, okay?"

"I will, oh and Jesse…" But he was out of it, "what does querida mean…?" I trailed off, willing myself not to fall asleep.

&&&&&&

By the time the sun came up, I was asleep. Sometime – I presume around two-thirty – I had lost control on my ability to stay awake. Thankfully the dream hadn't decided to show up.

"Hey Suze, you and Jesse are on dinner tonight right?" Briana asked, pinning her hair up and out of her face.

"Yeah I think we are" I mumbled, struggling to get up. Jesse grabbed my arm and pulled me towards him. "Thanks" I said to Jesse's chest.

"We should start looking now Susannah" Jesse shaded his eyes with his hand and squinted at the blinding sun. "Remember how hard it was to find breakfast the other day, by the time we found it, it was time for dinner."

Briana laughed, "You better get going then."

My joints creaked and groaned as we walked off – probably from tossing and turning all night I'd bet – but at least my ankle was better. Jesse started to sing a tune so I blocked my ears. He was NOT going to seduce me with his voice again… no way.

The only problem with temporary deafness is when something important is being said, such as, "I love you", "that top does _not_ go with those jeans" or perhaps, "watch out". Which is what Jesse was trying to say to me while I had my fingers in my ears.

Tripping over a tree stump was not my idea of fun but even weirder was the fact that I didn't land on soft sand.

"Dammit! Not again!" I cried out, nursing another sprained ankle. Jesse leapt over the stump and landed with a _thud_.

"What the-" He crouched down and started to brush away sand, revealing a wooden platform. I helped him discover more of the wood until my hand felt the coolness of metal.

"Hey Jesse" I motioned for him to come closer. "I know what this is!"

"Me too." He frowned, "but there is no handle…."

My fingers clasped around the metal bar that I had come across before. "I think I just found it." We both yanked hard on the metal and the trapdoor slowly creaked open. Jesse and I peered down into the darkness.

"A hole in the sand. Exciting." My voice echoed down into the ditch. "Heeelllloooo!" I yelled. "Hey Jesse I wonder if you can-" I started to say before realising that Jesse wasn't beside me anymore. "Jesse?"

"Here." He replied, walking towards the hole with a coconut until his toes were less than an inch from the edge of the darkness. Just as I was about to inquire into what he could possibly be doing, his grasp on the coconut loosened until the fruit was falling into the hole. There was a _thump_ after two seconds indicating that the ditch would only be at least a metre deep.

"Okay" I told Jesse, "Me first!" Swinging my legs over the side, I dropped into the darkness, wincing as my ankle twisted – yet again – in an awkward position. A figure, I hoped, was Jesse landed beside me. He swept me up in a big hug, which I gladly returned.

"Don't you EVER do that again!" Jesse was holding me so tight that our bodies molded together, his lips touched my forehead. I wondered if it would work a second time…

I tilted my head upwards until I could feel his warm breath mixing with my own. Jesse turned his head at that moment so I was forced to plant one on his cheek. Oh well, it was worth a try.

"I thought we had discussed this Susannah" He sighed, pulling away.

"We did but-"

"Whoah!" Jesse walked out of the little light streaming into the hole. "I think we found a well!" Jesse laughed, picking something up and chucking it at me. Luckily I am not TOTALLY out of hand-eye coordination and I caught the box.

"Gingernut biscuits?? What the…"

"Matt told us about these, remember?" Jesse walked back into the light carrying food and drink in various forms.

"The wells that hold food…." I trailed off, glancing up at Jesse. "Is there any more?"

"Heaps! Almost two days worth!" He dropped the food he was carrying and went back to grab more. "We are going to need some help…" After dropping the second load he picked me up and spun me around. "I can't wait to eat all of this!" I laughed at his exuberant grin.

"Why don't you get the rest of the team and I'll wait here?"

He paused in front of me. "Are you sure you will be okay in here?" I rolled my eyes at his worried expression.

"I'm not a baby Jesse, what sort of trouble can I get into in here?"

_Silence _

"Maybe I should stay…" He glanced around, then back at me.

"Just go!" I shoved at him.

Grabbing hold of the ledge, Jesse pulled himself up and out, leaning back in to peer at me. "Stay out of trouble Susannah". He blew me a kiss and disappeared out of sight.

"No promises" I whispered back.

&&&&&&

Time is pretty damn evil if you ask me. When you want the day to last forever, it's over before a blink of an eye. When you're hoping for a moment to go as quickly as possible, it seems to draw out for days on end. That's what it felt like in the darkness of the hole… like time was playing tricks on me. Without anybody to keep me occupied, it felt like I had been in here for hours when it probably wasn't even a minute.

My eyes were permanently locked on the opening of the well, waiting for someone to stumble upon it. Sighing, I turned around and came face-to-face with Savannah.

"Shit Savannah!!!" I gasped, bent-double, trying to calm my erratic breathing. "God you almost gave me a heart attack!"

"I am sorry Susannah" She bowed her head as a sign of sympathy, which most people would graciously accept but at that moment I felt like graciously kicking her arse.

"What do you want?" I straightened my back, placing a hand on my heart.

"Susannah I am here." She whispered, her gypsy skirt flapping around in the wind, which was kinda weird considering there WAS no wind….

"Yes Savannah, you ARE here." I nodded slowly, "And why are we whispering?"

Ignoring my question, she carried on talking absolute crap.

"No, I am HERE." She circled her arms around the room.

"So am I Savannah, we are both here." I couldn't help rubbing my temples with displeasure. Patience is overrated.

She let out a frustrated sigh. "I am HERE, Susannah" She glanced quickly at the entrance of the hole and tilted her head as if listening for something. Looking straight back at me she whispered, "You're running out of time."

A shiver ran up my spine. I made a grab for her wrist but she was already gone.

"ARGH!" I yelled out in frustration, sinking to the dirt floor of the ditch.

A shadow suddenly blocked out the light coming into the well and I froze. My heart beat a little faster then normal. Precious seconds went by before…

"Susannah are you still there?" _Oh it was just Jesse._

"Yes, I'm fine" I sighed, squinting up into his face "Just get me out of here."

&&&&&

"Wow, I am so full!" Brian burped, rubbing his stomach.

"Yeah I agree" Lily laughed looking behind at him. "We hit the jackpot when you found that well."

I had to admit, the food was damn good. I couldn't eat another bite. We even had leftovers for all of tomorrow. Everyone had pitched in to bring the food to the camp, which was lucky, considering I couldn't lift a pebble. Not because I was tired or my ankle hurt – although it did – but because I could not stop thinking about Savannah's message. It was driving me crazy!

"Hey, you two… go to bed!" Briana ordered, "We will clean up, you look exhausted!"

"Thanks guys" I started to get up, shaking the sand from my printed dress.

"No. Thank YOU for finding us all that food!" Lily licked her lips.

I couldn't bother replying, it took too much effort. Their laughter and talk echoed down the island as Jesse and I stumbled to our beds.

"Night Gorgeous" Jesse said to me as he lay down. "Good work today" he brushed the hair from my face and I leaned into his hand, enjoying its warmth and soft touch.

"Night Jesse". I wriggled into my sleeping bag. I had never thought in a million years that Jesse De Silva would EVER be interested in little old Suze. But now I am proud to call this wonderful, fabulous guy my friend. And I was happy with just that right now.

I _know_… weird ae?

I had plenty of other things on my mind anyway. _I am here_. What could that POSSIBLY mean?

Although my eyes were drooping and my limbs switching to sleep mode, my brain was still ticking away, waiting for the answer.

And it came. At 11 o'clock at night.

I shot out of bed straight away. I didn't care about disturbing Jesse this time or what Matt would find out from his hidden cameras.

No. Because I knew what Savannah had meant.

And it was pretty important.

**So there it is. It went a bit fast I reckon so I will try to draw the next chapter out a bit, (I have already written most of it, so expect it up there in the next week - fingers crossed! -). **

**L.O.V.E**

**Reba**

**P.S.: Review!**


	10. Dark Times

**Hey there everyone! Sorry I haven't updated in… a while. What with Christmas and The New Year and getting my NCEA results! Did you know, here in New Zealand, we are the first country to celebrate The New Year? To wake up in the morning and to go to bed at night? Cool huh? Hope everyone is having a relaxing holiday! Here is the next update. Apologies if the chapter is a bit fast… I just wanted to get it all out! Enjoy. X**

Dark Times

Walking around in the middle of the night trying to find something that was barely visible during _daylight_ is probably not the BEST idea.

Actually it wasn't even an idea… more of a spontaneous action. But then again, I wasn't exactly known for my thought-out planning. I had a feeling I was just walking around in circles and that this trip would be a WHOLE lot easier during the day, but it couldn't wait that long, not to mention the fact that everyone would follow wondering what the hell I think I am doing.

No… this had to be done now. I had to get to the well. If only I could find it…

To tell you the truth, I don't really mind the dark and plus, the island looked even prettier at night. The moonlight cast shadows of the palm trees and reflected off the ocean in little diamonds. The relaxing sound of waves and the occasional bird almost lulled me to sleep. It was magical. Like off a movie. Except in a movie the main character would not be wandering around in the middle of the night trying to find a hole in the ground because a ghost told her to. That's the life I tell you.

By the time I had passed the same three-branched palm tree for the sixth time I decided to quicken my pace. That was the main reason I chose to jog. The other reason was that I could _swear _someone was following me. I could hear the crunch of footsteps whenever I stopped.

Hiding behind one of the many palm trees in the area I waited until I could see the manly figure running up the beach. As he ran past I stuck my foot out and the man tripped over it with an 'oomph'.

"Out for a stroll are we?" I kicked the still body, waiting for a reaction.

What I _didn't_ expect was for an arm to shoot out from the figure and wrap around my ankle. A quick jerk of the hand and I was lying on my stomach next to the man.

Rolling over with a groan, I managed to scramble on his back and cover –what I hoped to be his eyes- with my hands. Unfortunately the mystery guy had much more strength then a seventeen-year-old girl, and after flipping himself -and me- over he was at an advantage. Kneeling on my stomach (ouch!), he locked my hands together. Amateur.

As soon as my knee was free I pushed it upwards and was rewarded with a bunch of swear words in…

…Spanish?

"Jesse?!" I cried, crawling over to his hunched body to see the damage I had done.

"Susannah?!" He winced, bent-double.

"Oh god, I am _so_ sorry!" Why does this always happen to me?

After recovering, Jesse looked up at me. "What the hell Susannah? What did you think you were doing?"

"I could ask you the same question!" Slowly getting to my feet I helped him up.

"I was here following you."

"No… I think you were here to knock me out!"

Jesse shook his head. "It's called self-defence. I clearly recall _you_ tripping _me _over. The reason _I'm_ down here is because I saw you get out of bed and randomly walk down the beach. Of course I followed considering the amount of trouble you get in to."

I walked over to him and gave him a hug.

"What was that for?" Jesse asked, wrapping his arms around me.

I could have said it was because he wasn't wearing a shirt – yes, you read correctly- but instead I said: "Because that is the sweetest thing a guy has ever done for me."

"What is?" He tilted is head so that he could see my face.

"The way you came looking for me. It's totally _unnecessary_… but all the same totally sweet."

"Well… that's what friends do, don't they? Look out for each other?" I winced. Way to kill a mood.

I untangled my arms from around him as he took a step back. A few silent seconds went by before Jesse cleared his throat. "Why are you out here anyway?"

"Oh… Just out for a stroll…" I took a step back, remembering my original task.

Jesse's eyebrows creased, and he gave me this suspicious look that I didn't like one bit. "You didn't look like you were out for a stroll."

"Well… you know…" I said lamely, taking yet another step away from him.

"No Susannah… I'm afraid I don't know."

Another pace backward. "I just need to be alone." I turned my back on him and walked away.

"Susannah"

I kept on walking. It was hard. There was just something in his voice that was holding me back, making me walk that little bit slower until I stopped.

I could hear him behind me.

"I'm worried about you." He whispered. I turned around and the look on his face… I knew he was serious.

"You don't need to be Jesse" I sighed running a hand through my hair.

He walked over to me and placed a hand on my cheek. "You are different then any other girl Susannah… you don't want to be protected, do you?" He sighed as I shook my head. "Fine. I will accompany you on your 'stroll', not as a guardian, but as a friend." He waited for me to make up my mind as he, seemingly, had made up his.

"No" I replied. "It's too complicated"

"I thought you were just 'going for a walk'?"

"Ok. I won't lie to you anymore. It is most definitely NOT _just_ a walk."

"Then what is it?" He narrowed his chocolate eyes at me.

"I….can't tell you." I sighed rubbing my hands across my face.

He just stood there. Waiting.

"You aren't going to leave are you?"

He flashed his dazzling grin, the one I had seen on many a magazine cover. "Nope."

"Fine I'll tell you." I gave him my meanest look, which isn't all that mean really. "But don't sue me if you run away screaming, trip over a stump and sprain your ankle (it happens)."

"How big IS this secret?" Jesse's eyes widened considerably.

"Big enough that we have to sit down."

Father Dominic was the only- and I mean only- person who knew about my ability. And that's just because he's a mediator too. I mean… ghost whispering is not your everyday hobby. Which is why I haven't even told mum or CeeCee. I had known Jesse for _four days_, my trust in him ran only _so_ far, but if it would get _him _to stop nagging _me_ so I could get on with my task I had to tell him.

We both sat cross-legged on the sand as I thought of a place to start my story. Jesse watched me patiently. I must have looked anxious, or nervous, or both because he took my hands in his.

This was also the first time I had told anyone about Savannah. It was nerve-wracking. Jesse squeezed my hand reassuringly. I decided to start my tale from the beginning.

"I saw my first ghost when I was two" I said without pausing. "See ghosts… they have a sort of… glow about them. I guess you could call it spectral. So anyway, there I was… this paranormal lady trying to tell me something, when my mum strode up. I tried to show her that we had company but she wouldn't have a bar of it. I realised she couldn't _see_ it.

"I had pieced parts of my 'gift' together over the following years but the whole thing only started to make sense when my dad died. Coming back to me –unfortunately- as a ghost, he told me who I was. _What_ I was. A mediator. Definition: a person who guides ghosts of humans past to the afterlife. Yes not _too_ sure what that entails. Heaven? Hell? Reincarnation? Stuffed if I know. The dead just come to me with their unfinished business. Whether it is to tell a child that they forgive them or to a neighbour to stop stealing plums off their tree. Problems in general. You name it, ghosts come and ask me to fix it. Usually it involves breaking and entering, sometimes it involves just breaking… a ghosts' nose that is.

"Let's put it this way, ghosts are my own personal paparazzi. I mean, I can touch them and talk to them. So far I know of only one other mediator, the priest back home."

I let it all out in a rush. Pausing for a breath I nervously glanced over at Jesse, wondering why he wasn't miles down the beach already. Either that or pulling out a one-way ticket to wacko ville.

No, he was staring intently at me. "Nombre de dios, Susannah… that was one heck of a story!"

"Oh my god! I'm such an idiot!" I moaned, tearing my hands from his. "What was I thinking? That you would actually _believe_ me?" I got up and walked away.

"Susannah-" I could hear Jesse following me.

"I thought, 'hey Jesse's a decent enough guy… if anyone would be willing to accept me it would be him'"

"Susannah-"

"But I was wrong--"

"SUSANNAH!" Jesse yelled at me with a voice that commanded attention.

"You didn't let me finish! God you can be so infuriating sometimes!" Jesse growled. I bowed my head sheepishly. "I believe you."

"I just told you I can see dead people and you BELIEVE ME?!"

"Yes. Take it or leave it." He smiled, rubbing the back of his neck where some strands of black hair curled up a bit. Tres cute. "I'm pretty sure I would believe almost anything that comes out of your mouth."

"So... you're not like… really creeped out and want to go back to camp, or further… home?" My eyes drifted towards his bare chest. So sue me, a girl in my situation has to have some perks.

He took my chin in his hand and lifted it so my green eyes met his brown ones. "In answer to the first, yes… I am slightly freaked out. But no, I don't want to leave. Then again… that could be because I don't know the way back." He laughed.

I was _pleasantly_ shocked -but shocked none the less- at Jesse's reaction to the whole thing. Oh well… he IS one-of-a-kind.

"Now I have a question for you." His eyebrows creased. "How is any of that ghost busting-"

"Mediation" I corrected him.

"Yes, _meditation _relate to what you are doing here... at night… in your pajamas?"

I laughed in spite of myself.

I knew I could trust Jesse… now. "I –partly- auditioned to come to Island X so that I could get away from ghosts but the first night here I came across a particularly disturbed one… Savannah Al Zahrani… You should know her, after all she does- sorry DID- run in your circle."

Jesse nodded, albeit dumb-foundedly.

I then proceeded to tell him about Savannahs' late night visits, how I _really_ got my swollen ankle – the first time at least – and blah, blah, blah. I ended with her message at the well.

Jesse let out a deep breath. He looked disturbed. He probably went out with her.

But he agreed with me part-ways.

"Ok yes querida, I understand that it is important but can't it wait until the morning at least? I'm pretty sure the _bastardo _who hid it down there in the first place wouldn't want it to be found." He said the word _bastardo_ with such venom… Let's just say that if I was the subject of Jesse's anger I would _run_.

"Feel free to leave Jesse, it isn't everyone's cup of tea but it _is_ mine. I've been swimming in that damn cup of tea ever since I was born a mediator. It's my _job_ Jesse. And yes… it has to be done… tonight."

I looked up at Jesse.

"C'mon then." He sighed, not seeming to happy about the prospect at all. I smiled like a lovesick puppy and trailed after him.

"Feel free to add insight into the position of the well on this beach, seeing as I have been wandering around in circles for the past half-an-hour." I told him.

"I know. I was following you. Remember?" How come everytime I'm around Jesse he makes me feel like a complete idiot? Everytime. I suppose love does that to you…

He took my hand in his. "This way."

I wasn't used to being led around by men… especially not macho men like Jesse. I didn't fancy it _overly_ considering _I_ had the expertise on this particular endemic.

I couldn't help being pleasantly surprised though, when Jesse proclaimed that we had reached the spot where the well was hidden. Now that I was thinking about it… that stump _did_ look a little familiar. I gave it a wide birth and the evils as we passed it.

"Just a quick question" Jesse said, "I didn't see anything suspicious at the well before… it's only a small room, where could something be hidden in it?"

I grabbed a hold of the trap-door handle and pulled. "There is always – ugh – a secret – pant – passage – ugh –Jesse." I stood back up, muscles creaking, admitting defeat. "Haven't you seen the movies?" I wiped my brow. "They must have locked the trap-door it's so hard to--"

I started to say before I realised that Jesse had bent down and opened the entrance to the well in one, swift movement.

"Hmmm…" I pondered, "I must have weakened it for you…"

"Sure querida, anything you say." Jesse laughed as he disappeared down the hole.

"Incoming!" I yelled as I leapt down. Jesse's strong arms caught me as I came down. We both squinted into the darkness.

"This wouldhave been a lot easier during daylight hours." Jesse frowned.

I patted the dirt walls around the room to check for hidden doors. "But it's so much more fun in the dark!"

"Can you at least pretend like you're a normal teenager?" Jesse's voice sounded quite amused as he wandered to the other side of the well. I could hear him brushing the sand and dirt away from the walls.

The dirt fell away like sand most of the time, so you could imagine how sick I was of coughing it up out of my lungs every second.

After about ten minutes I started to lose hope that, even if we _did _find a secret door, we wouldn't be able to tell it _was _one – what with all the erosion-ditches already occupying a lot of space in the walls. Then Jesse called me over.

"I think… I think this might be it." He had his fingers on a line in the wall and his other hand flat on the dirt. I felt the wall. It certainly didn't _feel _like sand or soil. The line Jesse had his fingers on ran all the way to his nose, trailed along a bit further left, then plummeted down back to the ground. It was shaped like a door. I searched for a handle with my hands. There was none.

A faint glow shone from the lines. Or I suppose… the doorframe.

"This is it." I spoke so suddenly and confidently Jesse stepped back. "Push on it" I told him, ramming my shoulder into the door. Jesse stepped back further and then ran at the wall. It was enough to send a shower of sand tumbling at us and –to our great joy- cause the door to swing open. It was clearly made of wood.

"Perfect" I sighed, grabbing Jesse's hand. "Let's go.

The hallway was windy, smelt musty, and required a lot of bending on Jesse's part.

"Why couldn't someone make the ceiling just a _bit_ further away from the ground?!" He moaned.

"Why don't you shrink a bit instead?" I had to let go of his hand as the passageway also required single file. "Stop complaining. At least there isn't any spiders." I shivered.

"Bugs I can withstand. A cramped-up back, I cannot." His voice echoed down the tunnel, reverberating off the walls.

After what seemed like forever of nothing but darkness, we came to a split in the path. We knew this because Jesse carried on straight and crashed into the barrier separating both ways.

"Aren't we lucky" Jesse exclaimed at the sight. _Crap _was all I thought. Who knows where each one leads? If we took the wrong one…

The same ghostly glow that alerted me to the door, shone at the end of the right tunnel. A single finger beckoned.

"This way" I tugged Jesse and headed right.

"But what if-"

"Jesse, trust me. I know." I turned around to look at him. At least I _thought _I was looking at him. It was very dark. Try shutting your eyes, then multiply that blackness by one million and you'll see what we are dealing with.

The thing was, I didn't know. Not _really_. But my 'little hunch' was all we had.

The smell in this corridor was of something rotten. Occasionally roots would dangle from the cave ceiling and bugs –to my sheer horror- scuttled along the dirt floor. Other then the creepy-crawlies, all that could be heard was our footsteps and erratic breathing.

The right tunnel led us straight for what seemed like a decade, until we came to another split. This time we had three options.

"Carry on straight." I sighed without hesitation, following the light. I know that may sound ominous to some, but not to Susannah Simon. Mediator.

Just as I was thinking about how much I had in common with Nancy Drew, I fell down a hole.

Yes, Susannah Simon, Mediator, fell down a hole. Because she wasn't looking where she was going. It wasn't much of a fall but still… I felt stupid.

"Susannah!" I could hear Jesse's voice from above. Like a god. I damn sexy one.

I rose to my feet. "Ouch!" I winced upon finding that my ankle hurt… again… funny that. "I'm fine!" I shouted back. "You should come down here, it's quite nice." I brushed myself off. Jesse ignored me. Obviously he didn't appreciate my humor.

"There is no way past this hole, I think we are meant to fall down it." He didn't sound very convinced though.

"Well they could at least put up a warning sign or something." I grumbled searching for my guide. Not far off from where I was standing, stood a glowing figure. "Jump down Jesse!" I commanded, keeping an eye on our paranormal companion. The light from her body shone like the sun along the passageway. I squinted like a newborn baby. You would too if you had only seen darkness and shadows for hours.

I heard a thump next to me. I leapt back.

"You almost gave me a heart attack Jesse!" I usually refrained from saying that since my dad really _did _die of one, but hell… He shocked me.

"Sorry, I couldn't exactly see where I was going." He stood up and stretched out his back.

"What do you mean you can't-" I started to say before realising that, of course he couldn't see the ghosts' glow. _Duh_. Speaking of the devil….

I turned around to check if she was still there. Thank goodness she was.

"We are almost there!" I ran up to Savannah but before I could reach her, she was gone.

In her place lay a flashlight. Jesse picked it up.

"This would have been handy a few hours ago" He turned it on, still grumbling about the unfairness of it all.

I had been preparing myself for what we would see when we got to the end of our escapade. But it still shocked me to the point that I almost screamed.

There it was….

…. Savannah's rotting corpse.

**So there it is folks. Hope you liked it. I think it was my longest chapter yet. I think. I will be making some shout-outs in the next chappie. **

**Lots of hugs,**

**Reba**

**xxx**


	11. Discovery

**Hey there. Sorry it took so long! I was reading the Harry Potter books and if anyone has read them you will know that they are super hard to put down. Anyhow I will stop making excuses. In order to get the chappie up as quickly as possible I'm not making shout-outs this chapter. I will do it next time. :)**** Thanks soooo much to everyone reviewing! You guys are amazing! I'm sure that I don't deserve half the praise you are giving me! :)**

**Here is the next installment to Island X… **

* * *

I almost puked.

It was seriously disturbing and equally disgusting.

Her corpse lay on the dirt floor, or let us say, what was _left_ of her corpse. It was pretty much a skeleton of a human with the occasional spot of hanging skin clinging to the frame. And the _smell _made my eyes water. Thank goodness I was mildly used to this stuff. As for Jesse… he puked. Off to the corner of the room luckily.

He shone the torch away from the skeleton.

"Are you sure it's… _her_?" He crouched on the balls of his feet, looking worse for wear.

I fingered the remains of the gypsy skirt that was now too big for its new muscle and fat-free body. "Ninety-nine percent sure" I answered, glancing cautiously at the slaters and maggots that crawled in and out of 'Savannah's' eye sockets. I tried to keep the down the bile that was finding its way back up my throat.

I heard Jesse swallow… hard. His next query came from a nasally voice (He had both found a way to keep out the horrendous smell emanating from the corpse by blocking his noses. Funny that.)

"What do we do now?"

Answer: I had no idea. Usually ghosts disappear after the finding of their bodies. Well _some_ ghosts. Did that mean Savannah was gone? I could alert the authorities to the dead body but I had no cell phone. I was literally _stuck_ on the island. Because if Savannah was right and her murderer _was_ on the island… well they wouldn't appreciate little ol' me leading the feds here. I was, in every sense, trapped.

"I…. I- don't know..." I sighed, reassuring myself that a conclusion would come to me… eventually.

If Jesse was slightly disturbed at my lack of ideas, he didn't show it. Shining the light, once again, on the corpse, he went to investigate.

It had been an exhausting day for the both of us, first finding the well of food and then this well containing Savannah's body. The events must have come crashing down on Jesse. He looked tired. His chocolate eyes squinted, they could barely stay open, and his tanned shoulders sagged as if an invisible weight pressed down on them. I wasn't tired at all. I had the sheer determination of someone trying to find the murderer of a dead celebrity.

I guess I had just forgotten what it was like to be normal.

I took a look around the 'tomb' while Jesse played with the body. The room must have been about 5m by 6m, the skeleton taking up the space in the centre. Dirt floor, dirt walls, dirt _everything_. I was quite sick of dirt.

It was quiet in the cave. Apart from the occasional scuttle of bugs on the floor and our soft breathing. Which is why the distant _thump, _was a bit out of the ordinary. It was so quiet that when I asked him, Jesse thought I was 'just hearing things'. But then again, he was particularly focused on what he was doing, whatever _that_ was. However, on numerous occasions my instinct had come in handy, and I had a pretty bad feeling about that _thump_. I couldn't shake it, despite Jesse's constant reassurances that it was nothing.

I tugged on my over-sized t-shirt, a.k.a: my pajamas. "We should get going." My foot started to do the crazy-dance it does when I am either in anticipation or am excited. I was sure it wasn't the latter.

"Come over here… I think…" Jesse started to say before getting distracted. He was pulling at, what was left, of Savannah's flowing auburn mane.

"Jesse, playtime is over now…" What was there left to do? Ok… So I had given up. We had found the body; the police could handle it from there. If I found some way to contact them…

"Susannah" I was keeping an eye on the door when Jesse said my name. Turning around, I noticed Jesse holding a short, dark strand of hair in his two large fingers. "I thought I might find something of worth if I looked hard enough". Jesse shrugged at my incredulous look. "I watch a lot of forensic programs."

"Where did you find it?" I took the follicle from him. It definitely belonged to a man.

"It was in Savannah's hair." Jesse smiled grimly at me. "One step closer to the murderer"

I let out a breath. "Thank-goodness it isn't Brian. I never really suspected him though… that boy wouldn't hurt a f-"

I was interrupted by another _thump_ from above.

We both froze.

"Shit!" I whispered to Jesse through gritted teeth, "Can you hear it NOW!"

He was about to reply when guess who showed up… The dead girl in the flesh, so to speak.

Savannah widened her eyes at me. "They are coming!"

"Great", I answered back, ignoring Jesse's interested stares through the shine of the torch, "people. Hopefully someone with another torch because I am SICK TO DEATH –excuse the expression- of squinting in the dark!" I walked forward to greet whoever _they _were, but I was pushed to the ground by the poltergeist. Jesse was soon by my side, searching wildly for something he could not see, albeit protect me from. "I'm ok" I reassured him before giving Savannah my pissed-off look.

The ghost glanced down at her hands, as if still shocked by the eminent power her new form gave her. Then she looked at me, deadly serious, (god, there I go again with the puns!) "I'm sorry Susannah, but you must not let them see you!" She let all her words rush out. "They will kill you like they-" She started to say before choking up like last time.

"Ok, I get it" I sat up on the balls of my feet as I developed pins and needles. "Avoid the humans. Got it."

Another _thump_ and some swearing echoed the well this time, but it sounded closer. We held our breath.

Savannah just carried on talking. Seemingly recovered from her spaz-attack.

"Just promise me Susannah." Unseen wind tugged at her hair. "It's for your own safety."

And then she disappeared.

'For my own safety'. Sure! She just wanted me alive so I could figure out a way to make her dead. As in _dead_, dead. Ironic.

But I did as she had requested. Jesse wasn't the least bit shocked when I pulled him into the corner of the room.

"Was that Savannah?" He stated mildly, as if we were just talking about the weather.

"Yep, she said that there are people coming who we don't want to meet." We stopped to listen for more noises before continuing our hushed conversation.

He placed a hand on my shoulder and pulled me back into the wall with him. "So do we have to wait here until whoever it is finishes what they came to do?"

"I would say so." I took the torch and looked up at his handsome face, full of trust for me, before turning the light off. "It's a waiting game now."

I sat, huddled into the crevice Jesse's chest made for me and listened for noise. But all I could hear was the _bud-ohm, bud-ohm_ of his heart. It was so close and loud. I tried to concentrate, to stop thinking altogether. Like meditation. It was difficult, but soon I had picked up faint voices. If these people came here often, it would only be a matter of time before they arrived at the 'tomb'.

Jesse must have heard something because he held me closer. His breath tickling the top of my head. Faint light streamed into the room, cascading over Savannah's body.

"God I hate this place" said a voice from just outside the caved room. He certainly sounded pissed off. There was a loud bump followed by a small whimper.

"Shut up. This is what we're being paid for" replied another voice. This man sounded older and much calmer. "The boss requested daily checkups and that's what he is going to get."

I backed as far as I could into the small crevice we occupied and waited for the men to enter. Hopefully we would be just out of their sight, in a blind spot.

The two men entered, bringing light with them. The room became light immediately, and Jesse and I had to close our eyes for risk of being blinded.

"See! Same as she ever was" came the first voice. From what I could make out, it belonged to a young man, no more than twenty with dark coloured hair and a built frame. The typical 'dumb henchman' type. "I don't see why we need to do this. Besides… it stinks in here and kinda freaks me out." He wrinkled his nose and shivered.

"Nobody cares what you think Milo." This voice came from an older man. Compared to Milo, this man had hardly any muscle but seemed infinitely wiser. Most likely the brains of the operation. He looked at the younger man with disgust. "The boss wanted checkups to be taken out regularly. After he discovered that that team found the well he wants to make sure nobody comes in for further investigation. Weren't you listening?"

"God Frank, lighten up. You're so bloody serious all the time." Milo poked at the corpse and kicked up the dust that had gathered on the cave floor with his foot. "Can we go now!?"

The dust that had been disturbed made its way to Jesse and me. Right after that, Jesse sneezed.

"Wait." Frank shushed the boy. He pulled out a knife from under his jacket. Pausing he surveyed the room. His eyes drifted next to where we lay in our crevice. Jesse flinched against me, waiting for the moment when we would be discovered and laid down to rest like Savannah.

"What is WRONG with you dude?" Milo growled.

Frank clenched his fists, looked around the room once more and threw an annoyed look at his partner. "I thought I heard something."

Jesse and I heaved quiet sighs of relief.

"Put that thing away before you hurt someone." Milo inched towards the entrance to the tomb. "I'm starving, let's go."

Reluctantly putting away the knife, Frank pushed past the boy. "Out of all the other men out there, I get put with you." Frank's voice became fainter and fainter until it could be heard no more, and just like that they were gone.

"Wow. If this is what you do on a weekly basis I am not jealous. I think it's high time we got out of here" Jesse pulled me up, "this smell is making my eyes water"

I couldn't help but agree.

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**Sorry it was shorter than usual. I think. **** I tried to take in all your feedback and fix up my mistakes, did I do alright? :) Anyway, my next chapter won't be too far away I don't think… But then again, you know how life is. :)**

**Reba**

**xx**


	12. Day Five

**OH MY GOSH! I had forgotten all about this story! I'm so sorry! I had to read it all over again! I also read all my reviews and they made my day. My sister asked why I was smiling so stupidly. I couldn't help it! They are so lovely! **

**So, once again, I am immensely sorry! I'm not even sure if any of you can be bothered to read it- it has been months! However, I would love it if you did. **

**I made this chapter super long, I think…? It has been so long since I have written for Fan Fiction I'm not sure what length is considered normal! **

**As you read this I am currently writing up the next chapter so that it won't be months away.**

**You are totally awesome if you have kept with **_**Island X**_**! I promise to be a more consistent author and worthy of your praise.**

**So, without further ado… (Seriously, you have waited long enough I think!) here is the next chapter….**

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**Day Five**

I only got a few hours of sleep before the sun rose, leaving me with red flashes behind my eyelids.

So handy… Especially when I had to exert 100% of my energy on the challenge later on.

The thing was, even after the recent discovery of a rotting skeleton and a mysterious cover-up, I slept like a baby during those few hours. Surprise, surprise.

I felt a body stirring next to me. Jesse was tossing in his sleep, ignoring the daylight streaming over our camp. And let me tell YOU, he looked sooo cute at that moment I wanted to… Well, let's just leave it at that.

Now that I was awake and thoughts crammed for room inside my head, an image popped up of the cave last night. I thought it would be best if I took a quick dip in the ocean… and scrubbed myself with a few bars of soap….

As I was walking to the sea, I noticed someone in the corner of my eye. It was Matt.

"Hi there, Susan. Whereabouts did you go last night?" He had a voice-recorder. Typical.

"I had to get some air..." My eyes automatically slanted. Whatever the host was here for, it couldn't be good.

"With a certain Jesse De Silva accompanying you too?" He smirked.

Two to Matt. Zero to Suze. Could we play a different game now?

I glared back at him. I was in no mood. "Yes. Is there a problem with that?"

"No, no. Just wondering…" He laughed as I tried to stare him down and figure out what he wanted from me. "Are you sure you're ready for the challenge today? You didn't get back until late."

I swallowed back a yawn. There was no way in hell he would get the better of me.

"I suppose we will see then, won't we?" I turned around, fighting the urge to give him the finger.

I felt his hand reach out to grip my shoulder. I hate it when people do that.

"Now Susannah, we're friends, aren't we?"- Um… no! – "So I expect you to tell me what you were REALLY doing last night." The tone of his voice was urgent with a hint of menace. He had turned the recorder off. I took that as a bad sign.

"Leave. Me. Alone" I pulled myself away from him just as I saw someone walking up the beach towards us.

Matt gripped my wrist and pulled me closer to him, whispering in my ear, "I urge you to stay in your room from now on. Got it Simon?" And with that he turned on his heel and strode away. Leaving me with another thing to ponder over.

A tussled Jesse was by my side in a matter of seconds. "Hey, was that Matt?"

"Uh-huh." Was I ever going to get to have a bath?

Jesse was running his hands over his eyes.

"Rough night, huh?" I questioned him.

"I would tell you but you'd never believe me." He smiled cheekily. A glint of game in his eyes.

"Try me." I grinned back, shading my eyes so that I could see his face. The sun- as always- was bright and boiling hot. I had to hop around on the sand because the bottoms of my feet were burning.

"So I'm guessing everything that happened last night wasn't a dream then?" He sighed.

Oh how I wish it was.

XxxX

After washing myself thoroughly, changing into shorts and a tee, and eating the leftovers from the well, I was ready for the challenge- which was more than I could say for the others.

"Argh! My head hurts!"

"Can I go back to sleep?"

"I'm SO tired!"

It had turned out that the others had feasted, drunk and sung until late at night in their beds- high on life and only sorry now as the challenge loomed closer.

Lily had only just stumbled into camp- an hour before the competition. She was still in her boxers and over-sized t-shirt, looking worse for wear. Her hair stuck up at angles and she could barely keep her eyes open.

"I fell asleep while I was bathing." She yawned. Cue several answering yawns.

"This is not good." Moaned Jesse as he rubbed the back of his neck.

I just couldn't concentrate with so many people complaining. I had too much to think about and if I was going to get _mentally_ prepared for the challenge I had to leave.

I crept away from the group huddle. As soon as I was a certain distance away, I started to run. Where? I didn't know. I hoped I would find my way back…

After a while, I lay down on the sand, thinking of that strange dream about the cat that popped up again while I was gaining a few decent hours of sleep the other night. I thought about the cave- well actually the tomb to be more exact. I thought about Savannah's message that I was supposed to give 'him'. I thought about Jesse. I thought about the challenge. I thought about Matt King. I thought so much that, after a while, I ran out of steam and shut myself from everything on my mind.

I shut my eyes and listened to the birds and the waves licking the shore. I listened to the rustle of the palm trees in the breeze and the soft humming of a woman…

Wait… humming?

My muscles tensed. I slowed my breathing and opened my eyes.

Savannah was sitting on the sand next to me, her olive arms wrapped around her legs and her skirt waving in the wind. She wasn't even looking at me… just looking ahead towards the ocean, humming away.

As if my life couldn't get any weirder.

I sat there, waiting for her to say something, but she didn't. The silence wasn't at all awkward… it was pleasant.

After a few minutes she turned her head to look at me. She smiled and then did the strangest thing…

She hugged me.

She just leaned over, wrapped her arms around me and squeezed. Not unusual. It's just that a never get hugged by ghosts.

Ever.

I stayed still, surprised more than anything. She let go, smiled again and then disappeared.

Yeah, my life just got weirder.

The warning sounded for the start of the challenge just as Briana pulled me up from the ground- and not gently I might add.

"Where the flip have you been?" And she didn't say flip… if you get what I mean.

I yawned in response.

"Well…" Bri groaned at my yawn. "This is going to be an interesting challenge for Team _Khana_..."

XxxX

As our team, clad in red shirts, neared the 'challenge arena' we were surprised to find a pool. A circular pool. A deep, circular pool. With a 5 meter beam of wood secured from one end to the other. It looked slippery. It also looked like there was a shark in the pool. You heard me right, a shark.

Wasn't that illegal!

Obviously not…

Both teams milled around the outside of the pool, leaning as far as they dared. Lily pretended to push Brian into the pool, but none of us were in the mood to laugh. It had dawned on us that, if we failed, one of us would have to go home.

I swallowed, hard.

"Ok folks" Matt walked over to us, his trusty camera-man and microphone sticking to his side like glue. "We are going to start in about a minute so can each team go to their flag." I caught his eye for a second and he winked at me. He winked at me! The nerve of that guy…

Our team wasn't even interested in a huddle. We were staring blankly ahead or giving each other half-hearted encouragement. I just sat there with my arms around myself. I would try my hardest for Team _Khana_. I wouldn't let anyone get voted off.

Soon enough the cameras were in place and I felt my hands being squeezed reassuringly on both sides.

"Welcome back to _Island X. _It's time forthe second challenge". Matt spoke into the camera, grinning from ear to ear. "Today the contestants will have to place all of their energy on staying aboard our plank" The cameras swiveled to the pool, zooming in on the wet piece of timber stretching across the middle.

"Now is a chance for the teams to get even with each other. A member from each team will have to battle it out on the plank while getting bombarded with water balloons from the opposing teams" A bin full of balloons was brought over, one for each team.

"The aim is to stay on the plank. As soon as a team member falls into the water they receive a point- and points are bad.

"But… then again, our friend in the water sure wouldn't mind if someone slipped" I supposed he was talking about the shark. Charming.

"One person from Team _Khana _will have to forfeit this challenge so teams are equal." Before all of us could volunteer ourselves, Matt continued. "And that person has already been chosen… Jesse De Silva".

Perfect. Just bloody perfect. As if the fact that we were all exhausted wasn't enough, our best chance at winning had to be taken away. Just great. I could hear the rest of the team groan in unison.

"When throwing the water balloons, the teams must be behind the red lines." He pointed to two red lines, both parallel to the wooden plank and about a meter away from the edge of the pool.

"As the same as before, the team that wins the challenge will be rewarded and the losing team will have to vote a member off the island tonight."

"Without a moments delay… the first two to battle it out are…" He paused, opening a piece of paper.

"Brian and Scott"

We all pushed Brian towards the pool. Briana even gave him a kiss on the top of his head. His face flushed dramatically.

Once both Scott and Brian gained their balance on the slippery timber, the remaining members of the teams each grabbed a balloon.

Matt signaled the countdown and we were off.

Brian found a hold on Scott's blue shirt and tried to push him in the water. A balloon from _Milan _sailed through the air to find purchase on Brian's chest. He toppled. Briana gasped automatically, stifling a shout.

Then chaos erupted.

Becky, seeing the exchange, flung a perfectly aimed water-bomb towards Brian, sending him into the water.

Then, for good measure, chucked one at Briana.

The rest of team _Khana _didn't appreciate that and rushed to defend the actress. Soon, water-bombs were flying from both teams and they continued to film. Of course… it would be good television.

When both sides were absolutely drenched, Lisa the director, sent out a piercing whistle.

"That is ENOUGH!" She shouted at us, pulling Jesse off Paul. "Stop acting like little kids" Jesse had the decency to look ashamed, whereas Paul was smirking. "Now can I trust you all not to make fools of yourselves and get back to the challenge?"

We all nodded sheepishly. I was mainly disappointed because - although I didn't want any part of the fight (Becky was my friend after all) - I hadn't managed to punch Amber. Oh well, there was time for that later…

We had forgotten about Scott and Brian. The latter was treading water and watching the shark warily. It must have been a nurse shark as it looked _scared_ of Brian. Scott was looking partly pleased at himself for not being in the water and partly amused at the turn of events. Petty fights _do_ look funny when you're not a part of them.

"Are we ready to start again?" Matt asked Lisa. I had noticed he was smiling at himself before Lisa interrupted, pleased at all the good footage he was getting. Now he just looked pissed off.

Once Lisa agreed that filming could commence, we sashayed back to our places. After fishing Brian out of the water, of course.

"Looks like there is some personal competition between our two teams today" Matt began. "Since the fight took place after Brian fell… we have a winner!" He walked over to Scott, still standing on the plank, and helped him down. "As we have found out, it is important to aim correctly with those balloons. One point to _Khana_".

Brian looked defeated. "It was so hard! It was like my body was delayed the whole time. It couldn't keep up"

"You are tired" Jesse tried to cheer him up. "It is not your fault."

"Next two on the plank are…." Matt was eager to get back to the action, "Amber and Briana"

Both struggled for a minute, trying to dodge a cascade of water-balloons. In the end, Amber kicked Briana's legs out from underneath her. Amber couldn't have been cockier and I couldn't have been more upset. I found myself wishing for another fight so I could show Amber her mistake, but it was too late.

Briana walked over to us, slunk down to the ground, exhausted and unwilling to talk.

"Next up are… Susannah and Paul" Did I mention God must hate me?

Jesse flashed me a look I knew too well. _Did I want to do this? _Part of me didn't. The exhausted, weary part. But part of me did want to. The part that was slowly filling with the adrenaline of a dare. I could feel eyes on me, hinting that there was no way I could better Paul… which made me want to. Beat him, I mean.

Paul looked cautious, despite his mean streak under the surface. He probably had issues with the 'boy hitting girl' thing. Considering I had done nothing to anger him recently. Or maybe he wanted to come across as the 'wouldn't hit a girl' type. I was eager to use that to my advantage.

We both stood up on the plank. It was really slippery and I almost fell off. Boy would _that_ be embarrassing- falling off without even having started!

Paul's balance was better than mine. His feet looked like they were nailed to the plank. How was I going to tip him?

Before I knew it, bombs were hitting me everywhere. There wasn't a possibility they could make me more wet then I was- considering the fight before and all.

I was surprised at Paul. I thought he might have been the one to take advantage of my momentary shock at being ambushed. He took a weary step towards me, the balloons not even causing him to flinch. He didn't want to hit me.

Without thinking- and ignoring tired bones- I lurched forward and swiped at Paul. Seeing I was game, he started towards me.

A water-bomb flew towards me and hit my legs with such force I tripped. Normally I would have turned around and smashed up whoever had thrown it but, considering I was suspended over a pool of sharks and falling, I didn't.

Conveniently I fell on Paul and kind of… pushed him into the water. He obviously hadn't expected it.

I didn't realize I had won until the cheers from my team-mates reached my ears.

"That's two points to _Khana_ and one point to _Milan_". Matt spoke into the camera. He didn't help me down from the beam. Luckily Jesse was there.

I admit …I collapsed onto him. He led me back to the team, where I was bombarded- not with water-bombs- but bodies.

"This is the final round" Matt said as the atmosphere grew with anxiety. Not even the soft sea breeze could change the fact that someone had to leave tonight. "This is the round that will either lead to a tie-breaker or end in the failure of the red team.

"The final two, as you might have guessed, are Lily and Becky".

They both battled it out for a few minutes. Lily was gaining the upper-hand in the beginning, but then Becky came out on top. I could see the defeat on Lily's face. Her weary muscles were starting to shake with the effort of trying to topple the younger girl. Her grip started to wane. The blue team obviously noticed this and hit her with everything balloon they had.

Lily slipped on the plank, momentarily losing her posture. That was enough for Becky to lean forward and push Lily into the water.

My mind, at that point, drowned out the cheers of the other team and Matt's voice. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't speak.

We had lost.

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**So… I am a little bit out of practice…. Ok HEAPS out of practice (I know that doesn't make sense. Shh.)**

**Please review. But only if you feel the need. :)**

**Reba**

**Xxx (ooo) **** extra hugs for waiting so long.**


	13. Love, Angst and Eliminations

**Hey folks. So… I haven't updated this in a while. I could use the same excuses as always, "I've been busy starting Uni", "I'm reading a good series that I can't put down", "I forgot about the story!" but you know the whole she-bang so let's just leave it at that.**

**I spent quite a while on this chappie because I finally decided to make the move… You'll know what I mean once you read it. Let's just say if you are a Jesse/Suze fan, you are in for a huge treat! **

**I would really love everyone to renew their faith in this story but I understand if you've been waiting too long and don't want to read it all again or perhaps you just want to strangle me. That's fine too!**

**So I can say I will put the next chapter up shortly but that isn't going to happen most likely. All I can say is I will try. **

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Love, Angst and Eliminations.

The walk back to camp was absolutely gut-wrenching. None of us said a word.

The afternoon sun shone like a beacon. It was tricking us, hiding dusk, disguising the events that would follow. Despite the warmth of the island, I shivered.

How could I ever vote off one of them- one of my friends? I refused to think about being voted off myself. I just wouldn't. I loved this island and each of the members in my team.

This was possibly the hardest decision I would ever have to make.

Once we got to camp, we sat on the sand in a circle.

"So…" Lily began.

"So" I answered.

Then we all started to tear up. I even saw a hint of something in Jesse's eyes- which made my eyes flow over, and I NEVER cry. Boy was I saying that a lot lately… and crying a lot lately.

Soon everyone was crying. Except Jesse- maybe he was too manly. Briana and Lily were comforted by Brian- who I thought would lap up the attention- but was actually too busy sobbing himself.

Nobody wanted to talk about who they were voting off. I knew I didn't want to say anything.

Were we supposed to think of it strategically or emotionally?

Should I vote off Brian? No, we wanted boys and he's really lovely. Jesse? No way. Lily? How could I possibly vote her off? We had become great friends. Briana? I really liked her! She had a good head on her shoulders.

I sighed.

Jesse caught my eyes for a brief second. They reflected my own.

I understood.

"Do you want to…?" Jesse's fingers slipped into mine.

"Uh-huh." I nodded.

We walked away from the camp, the sun warming our backs. It was starting to set.

I led Jesse along towards the ocean. Until he pulled me up short, bringing me close to his chest, red shirt against red shirt.

I leant on him. I would remember that moment forever. The harmony of bird-song and Jesse's beating heart. The feeling of his arms wrapped around me and the view of the sun setting on the sea out of the corner of my eye- it was bliss.

Maybe we were being a bit dramatic. It didn't seem like that to me. I could easily be voted off the island tonight. How could I get to see Jesse again? He would go back to his fame and I would go back to my family. It hurt to think of life outside the island.

"Jesse-" I began, looking up at him.

"I know." He smiled down at me, cupping my cheek in his large hand.

Then he kissed me.

His lips lingered for only a few seconds on mine. He was hesitant.

I let out a small whimper and led his mouth back to mine. He was wary at first, but then passion took over.

His kiss was like nothing I had ever felt before. Ever. He was much better than Paul. How could I have even thought Paul was worth it? I felt Jesse's kiss from my mouth to the tips of my feet. My stomach felt all tingly. I wanted to pull him down to the ground and ravish him.

I could tell it had that effect on him as well. He drew his head away from mine, eyes wide, mouth ajar.

"Wow" Jesse finally said.

"Mmmm" I sighed, grabbing a handful of his shirt and pulling him back down.

His lips automatically molded into mine, soft and warm. I was in heaven. His tongue slipped out and touched my lip softly, asking for entrance. It was all I could do not to moan.

I shoved Jesse away.

"What-" His forehead creased.

"Why now! I thought you said it would never work out between us because of your last girlfriends and-"

Jesse sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You are special Susannah. You are like no girl I have ever met, and you have no idea what you put me through…" I had a feeling I did…

Jesse pulled me closer and looked at me… I mean really looked at me. Like he was reading into my soul.

"The first time I saw you- or should I say, crashed into you- you blew me away. Don't try and protest Susannah, it is true. Even though you never said a word to me you caught my attention. I found myself wanting to know your name and wondering if I would get another chance to speak with you"

I looked at him unbelievingly. He raised his eyebrows.

"I am serious Querida. Then, when I woke you up that time and you mumbled something about Paul… I automatically wanted to strangle him" Jesse clenched his jaw. "Never in my life have I felt that strongly about someone before. I wanted you all to myself."

It was so hard to swallow the things he was telling me. He had felt exactly the same as me, the whole time"

"Then there was the night we slept on the beach together. It was like magic, for me. I didn't want it to end." I recalled Jesse that day; his half-hearted sigh when the sun woke us. "You have to believe me when I say this. The day you went to kiss me… it took all my strength not to. However, I made myself step back from you because I felt it was best for the both of us. I was wrong." Jesse looked upset. "I… can't be away from you. You draw me in. I feel like I've known you forever."

_What is with me today_. I thought as tears, once again, spilled from my eyes.

"What is it Susannah?" He wiped a stray tear.

"Everything you just said was an exact mirror of how I felt about you. I was definitely into you, but I realized the moment I really liked you was when you sang." I choked out. "But how could you feel the same about me? I'm just… well… me. You're amazing and talented and gorgeous and have heaps of girls following your every m-"

Jesse's hand slammed over my mouth.

"mffhbip-" I tried to say until he replaced the hand with his mouth. Once again, I felt the butterflies in my stomach, a sort of ecstasy that blew my mind away.

He took his mouth from mine. "Don't you ever, EVER say that. What has my fame got to do with anything?" he seemed… angry. His forehead was creased. "I love you, isn't that enough?"

I didn't care that I was blatantly staring with my mouth open. He had said the L word. My whole system collapsed.

"You… you love me?" I managed to say in a whimpering sort of tone.

Jesse looked like he wanted to take it back. Embarrassed, he ran a hand through his hair. Then he cocked his head at me, smiled and nodded.

I stayed in that exact position for a few moments. I felt like crying and laughing at the same time.

So I did both and hugged him fiercely. Afraid that if I let go he would melt away, and with him, my euphoria.

He laughed at my emotional breakdown and kissed me until we both had to stop, for fear of it going to far.

"I guess I love you too" I grinned, and for the first time in my life I felt genuinely, exuberantly happy. Like I could die right then and there and it would be alright.

But first I had to close my eyes and pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

I opened my eyes…

Jesse was looking at me quite strangely. "What in the Lord's name are you doing?"

"Checking if all of this is a dream"

Jesse chuckled, hugging me tightly. "You are an impossible child"

Once he let me go, I jumped on him, wrapping my legs around his waist. He laughed his perfect laugh and kissed every inch of my face, letting a soft moan escape his lips as I tightened my legs around him.

"God Susannah, you are killing me here!" He moaned, pulling me off him as the warning bell sounded for the elimination.

I clung to him. "Can we just not go?" I groaned. Although I couldn't be truly sad, not with the sudden, pleasing change of events.

"Trust me Susannah, if I could be with you, kissing you all day, I would do it in an instance." _Eeeeep! Did he just say that?_ I thought to myself. _I am the luckiest girl in the world._

Forget about Savannah and elimination for a while… I had Jesse. I had to pinch myself. Again._ Jesse De Silva! Finally._

"I'm not going!" I sat on the ground.

Jesse just chuckled, picked me up effortlessly in his strong arms and carried me off like a baby.

I struggled, "I can walk, you know!"

"I don't trust that you will get yourself there" Jesse looked fondly down at me, kissing the top of my head.

"I'll go wherever you go" I cuddled closer to him, slipping my hand under his top and tracing his abs.

"Susannah, stop that! You're distracting me!"

No sooner had he said that, when we were ambushed. By camera-men. Jesse swore in Spanish as he placed me back on the ground.

He waved the men away and grabbed my hand "We have to go".

We ran from the men and towards the elimination campfire. Upon nearing the area, we noticed Team _Milan_, their beaming faces and excited voices. Apparently they spent the afternoon drinking, eating and getting valuable lessons on surviving in the wild.

As I sat down on the end of a log with the rest of the red team, I felt reality set in. A pang of bitterness that clouded my elation over Jesse. I looked down the log at my team. Crazy Lily, Clueless Brian, Level-headed Briana, and Jesse… Charming, Gorgeous, Lovable, Talented, Strong Jesse. These amazing individuals were my friends, my team, my _family._

I linked hands with the two people on either side of me; Jesse and Briana. I felt guilty and sad for not spending the last afternoon with my whole team.

"Five minutes until we start shooting" Matt sung out.

Then I had an idea.

I jumped off the log, only to crouch in front of it, facing my team. They were all staring at me, confused. Jesse took one look at me and knew I had a plan. He was now both confused and anxious.

"I have a thought. Why don't we all write each others names on the paper but make sure none of them double-up".

Briana whispered, "like a planned vote-off!"

"Exactly" I grinned.

Brian looked slightly intrigued, Lily; ecstatic, Brianna; amused and Jesse… well… wary.

"Are you sure they won't see right through it?" He frowned, eyebrows brought together.

I shrugged. "Worth a shot"

We sorted out who we were all going to vote for then sat back to await the cameras and our fates on the island.

Matt King gave me a look. Almost like he _knew _we were planning something.

"Ok teams. Time for elimination. One person here tonight will be voted off the island for good" The light from the campfire flickered across his face and made him look quite scary indeed.

He handed out the pens and paper. "You have a few minutes to make your choice. Choose wisely."

I stared blankly at my piece of paper.

I fidgeted.

I delayed.

"One minute"

I looked over at my team mates. They nodded.

I scribbled _Jesse _on my piece of paper. It hurt.

"Time!" Matt called out, making me jump. "Let's see what the Red team has decided. Brianna you're up."

Brianna flipped over her paper to reveal the name, _Lily._

Brian flipped over his paper to reveal the name, _Susannah._

Lily flipped over her paper to reveal the name, _Brian._

Jesse flipped over his paper to reveal the name, _Brianna._

Then my paper; _Jesse_.

A collective murmur resided in _Milan, _not to mention among the TV crew.

Funnily enough, Matt seemed the least surprised "Ah, it looks as if we have a tie." He stated calmly. "Luckily we have prepared for such a situation. As the episode airs a few hours after we film it, we have had quite a reaction from the public."

"Where is he going with this?" I whispered to Jesse.

The host continued, "We have even started polls. Whom do you think will make the cutest couple, what will the next challenge be… so on and so forth, until we come down to; Who is your favourite competitor?" A smile formed on his face. "The person on the bottom of that poll will be voted off tonight".

I froze. Looking across to the others I saw the same shock.

"Sorry guys guess the plan didn't work" I apologized.

Brianna squeezed my knee, "it's much better this way Suze. At least we don't have to vote each other off. I would never have been able to pick".

"Brianna's right" Brian stated matter-of-factly. "Let's all just hope the public had the same hard decision."

I quickly glanced up at Jesse. He smiled reassuringly at me. "It will probably come down to who made the best TV."

I was about to retaliate when I realized something… I had made for good TV. What with my embarrassing moments and hook-ups I had nothing to worry about… did I?

With that realization came another; Jesse sure wasn't getting voted off. Girls loved him and, as we all know, they are the target audience.

Once again, another idea came with that thought. Jesse's fans will want me off the Island seeing as how lovey I've been around him! I wouldn't even be surprised if I was CeeCee's least favourite on the Island seeing as I've taken her man.

There was no more time to fret. Matt was handed an envelope holding the least favourite Team _Khana _member as voted by the public. Here goes…

"And the person going home tonight is…."

Matt peeled open the parchment, "Brianna"

The Red Team all went over to hug the actress as she tried to keep her head high.

"Sorry love, looks like you're leaving. That's it folks! Tune in next time for another thrilling installment of Island X, and remember everyone, keep voting on our polls because your decision could make a difference!" Matt winked at the camera. Cue parting shot of Brianna walking away.

"Cut. Great work everyone, loved the hi-jacked voting thing too. Very clever" Matt chuckled, shaking his head as he went over to talk to a camera man. It almost seemed as if he thought we were children, playing a cute little trick. I had had a feeling he knew what we were up to all along.

The team ran up to Brianna just as she was about to board her helicopter. We all launched ourselves at her, except Jesse.

Laughing she pulled us off, "I'm not dying! Sheesh! I'll still keep in touch".

She gathered two pieces of paper from the helicopter and wrote her number down on each.

Giving one to me she said, "Call me some time when this is over, k? I'd love to hear from you". I smiled both inside and out. The girls at school would just die if they knew I was tight with the actress.

The other one she handed to Brian. "Call me some time to okay? Although, I wouldn't be too hasty, I've seen the way that girl looks at you." She gestured towards Becky walking back to her camp with the Blue Team. Brian looked confused. Trust boys not to have a clue when a girl is into them…

Brianna planted a single kiss on Brian's forehead and hugged me.

"You guys know where to find me" she spoke to Lily and Jesse this time. They both nodded. Secret celebrity stuff I guess.

Brianna waved one last goodbye as the helicopter swallowed her up.

* * *

We talked amongst ourselves as we lurched back to camp. The chatter broke off soon enough once we glimpsed our make-shift beds. They looked like the most comfortable things in the world to our tired eyes. It took all my energy not to collapse right there and then.

I looked at my team. Brian looked quite upset… after all, he had that thing for Bri.

"Hey, pal cheer up!" I hugged him. "You have her number, and plus, you now know Becky likes you!" Brian frowned.

"See that's what I'm confused about. She has been shooting daggers at me since we started the show. It doesn't make sense"

Guys are hopeless.

"On the contrary my friend, she was only giving you the evils because you were spending so much time with Bri. I'm sure she will perk up a bit now that your crush has left."

Brian smiled. "Thanks Suze. Guess I have a lot to think about. Have a good sleep."

_Sleep sure sounds good right about now. _

I searched in the dim light for Jesse. Before I could find him, strong arms found their way around my waist from behind.

"There you are" I turned my head to face him, only… it wasn't Jesse.

"Paul!" I shout-whispered so as not to wake Lily and Brian who had already fallen asleep. Spinning around, I pushed him away.

"I was thinking we could put all the shit behind us and move on. I mean, I'm still into you". He spoke softly, moving forward to embrace me again.

"Don't Paul. I'm not into you anymore. In fact, I'm not even sure I want to be friends. You blew it big time. I'm with Jesse now". I gave him my best evils.

Paul pulled out a great side smile. "C'mon Suze, you can't be serious. De Silva has his own glamorous life in which you don't fit. Face it, you're just his next play thing. Plus you used to feel something for me… I could tell by the way you kissed me." He winked slyly.

Someone came up behind me. "Don't listen to his bull shit Susannah." Jesse growled with fists clenched.

"Ha! Speak of the devil." Paul chuckled lightly. "All big and manly are we? Coming in to defeat the bad guy and sweep the damsel off her feet?"

Jesse stepped forward, intimidating in both his height and build.

"No need, no need" Paul stepped back, waving his hands in a complacent gesture. "I surrender… for now" he winked at me. I tried to swallow back the bile in my throat. "I was just informing Suze here of her place in the world." He looked at me, "don't fool yourself Suze. You'll only end up hurting yourself."

Paul turned his back on us and strolled away. Cocky as ever.

"I really dislike that guy" Jesse spat. Turning toward me he cupped my face in his hand. "Did he hurt you? What did he say to you?"

I answered 'no' to the first and didn't reply to the second question. If Jesse didn't catch what Paul said to me about our relationship I certainly wasn't going to indulge him.

"Look it was nothing, Paul just being Paul." I averted my eyes from his worried ones. I couldn't believe that jerk had ruined the only thing amazing about today; Jesse. I could choose to ignore the things he said but the seed of doubt had been planted. Of course Jesse loved me and vice versa, but we would always have separate lives, and at the end of the day that's reality.

"I'm so shattered. Let's just go to bed."

Jesse sighed. "You are not telling me something Susannah."

"It's nothing Jesse, honest." Paul may have been right but that wouldn't stop me from making the most of my time with Jesse while we were on the Island.

I pulled on his arms and led him towards the sleeping area. I watched as Jesse pulled his flax mattress as close as he could to mine. When he saw me watching him he smiled widely.

"It is going to be a cold night, I heard."

I slid into my woven sheets, happy to put the day to rest. The only joyful thing I would be taking with me into the light of tomorrow was Jesse. My thoughts on Brianna leaving, Paul's message and Savannah I would leave behind. They vanished as soon as I felt Jesse's arms around my waist from behind- just like that night on the beach.

I snuggled closer to him, breathed in his familiar scent and closed my eyes.

"Good night Querida." Jesse whispered in my ear.

I sure hoped it would be.

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**

**One of the reasons I updated this was when I read over my reviews. The fact that you guys love it so much makes me want to work harder and get chapters up faster.**

**So as long as one person reviews, new material will be going up!**

**Love in abundance**

**Reba**

**xx**


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